Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. (File photo from the Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has sought the intervention of the Office of the President (OP) to address the issue of having too many generals at the Philippine National Police after the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) flagged the promotion of generals in the PNP for being excessive.
Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos said he would continue to push for the passage of a law restructuring the PNP while waiting for the legal opinion of the OP on the matter.
“Once I get this (legal opinion from the OP), I will immediately sign their promotion so we can resolve this issue. The problem would have been solved if a law on this is [put] out by December. I hope that this issue is resolved in one to two weeks,” he said.
In October last year, the DBM asked the DILG to explain the total of 66,203 posts in the PNP, which cost the government P26.7 billion a year.
Unauthorized flag positions
The DBM noted that of the 35 unauthorized flag positions, five were for lieutenant generals, six for major generals and 24 for brigadier generals.
The DBM allows only three flag positions for lieutenant generals against the present eight; only 11 for major generals against the current 17; and for only 86 brigadier generals against the 110 currently holding the post.
Despite the excess posts, mostly for commissioned officers, the DBM found that the PNP has 77,190 unfilled positions, the bulk of which are for 66,958 posts for entry-level patrolmen.
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According to the DBM, there was no provision in the Republic Act No. 6975 (DILG Act of 1190), or the RA 8551 (PNP Reform and Organization Act of 1998), which allows for the increase in the number of generals or to upgrade the ranks of the positions heading the different units of the PNP.
No recommendations
Changes in the PNP organizational structure should also be based on a study and recommendation of the National Police Commission (Napolcom), which Abalos concurrently chairs, but the DBM did not find such recommendations.
Abalos said the issue on the promotion of those having the rank of colonel down to corporal has been resolved as of Sept. 14.
“I have signed all their promotion papers and we have already filed this resolution confirming the positions with the rank of police colonel down to police corporal in all organizational structures gone through by the Napolcom,” he added.
According to Abalos, the Napolcom submitted to the Congress PNP’s reorganization plans in 1998, 2008, 2009, and 2011, but none of these were approved.