Gov’t paying P26.7 billion yearly for PNP’s 66,203 excess positions—DBM documents

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MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine National Police (PNP) has been spending P26.7 billion yearly on over 66,203 excess positions, a document from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) revealed.

Based on a letter dated Oct. 12, 2022, which was addressed to Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr., Mary Anne Dela Vega, director of the DBM’s Budget and Management Bureau, said the rank distribution of the PNP, as approved by the DBM, covers only 226,410 personnel.

However, the PNP’s actual strength and rank distribution, as implemented by its leadership, indicated that there are excess positions, contradicting the number set by the DBM.

As stated by Dela Vega, “any changes in the PNP organizational structure should be supported by a study and recommendation of Napolcom(National Police Commission), to include its impact on the hierarchy and leadership structure of the organization, and subsequently, the same shall be subject to the President’s approval.”

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This, as the DBM only approved three positions for the rank of lieutenant generals but there are currently eight officials having the rank in PNP. Likewise, there should only be 11 major generals but there are 17. There are 110 brigadier generals, too, way higher than the DBM-approved 86.

Excess positions were seen in these ranks, too:

• Colonel: 856 instead of 624
• Lieutenant colonel: 2,000 instead of 2,910
• Major: 3,701 instead of 2,291
• Captain: 5,347 instead of 3,512
• Staff sergeant: 46,942 instead of 15,213
• Corporal: 46,590 instead of 16,538

The excess, which already reached 66,203 as of June 30, translates to a yearly base pay of P26.7 billion.

As pointed out in an earlier letter addressed by the DBM to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), except for such offices created by the Constitution, the creation of public offices is primarily a legislative function.

Likewise, the President is the only one who can realign PNP funds to these excess positions and the use of savings to augment items in the General Appropriations Act for the executive branch is his sole prerogative.

“The General Appropriations Act shall not contain any itemization of personal services, which shall be prepared by the Secretary after enactment of the (GAA), for consideration and approval of the President,” the Administrative Code of 1987 stated.

Meanwhile, based on data from both the DBM and the DILG, at least 66,958 positions for patrolman or patrolwoman are vacant as there were only 62,968 PNP personnel with this rank when the DBM-approved distribution is 129,926.

The rest of the PNP ranks that are not filled include lieutenant, 1,066; executive master sergeant, 2,382; chief master sergeant, 3,878; senior master sergeant, 463; and master sergeant, 2,443.

As approved by the DBM, there should be 4,501 lieutenants but there are only 3,435. There should be 11,205 executive master sergeants, too, but there are only 8,643.

Likewise, there are only 8,613 chief master sergeants, way lower than the DBM-approved 12,491. At least 13,063 and 12,219 officers have the ranks of senior master sergeant and master sergeant, lower than 13,526 and 14,662, as approved by the DBM.

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