MANILA, Philippines — The Senate on Monday evening ratified the bicameral committee report on the disagreeing provisions of Senate Bill No. 2449 and House Bill No. 8327 containing proposed organizational reforms to the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Former PNP chief Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, sponsor of the measure, said the conferees from both chambers of Congress agreed to use the Senate version as the working draft of the measure.
Speaking at the Senate’s plenary session, dela Rosa presented the highlights of the reconciled bill, requesting that the joint explanation of the Senate and counterparts in the lower chamber be only inserted and considered read into the records.
The highlights of the bill are as follows:
- As part of the mandate of the Philippine National Police Academy, the PNPA shall recruit cadets from all provinces in the country
- To maximize the technical expertise of PNP officers who joined the service through lateral entry, technical officers shall be authorized to be assigned to positions related to their technical expertise outside of the office or unit where they were accepted
- Coinciding with the National Women’s Month celebration, the National Administrative Support Unit Women and Children Protection Group shall be headed by a female director with the rank of Police Brigadier General
According to dela Rosa, the ratification of the bicam report proved that he is “not alone” in seeking urgency of the measure.
“May iilan daw na hindi na umasang gagalaw pa ang panukalang ito. Marahil akala nila mananatili na lamang na isang pangarap ang pagsasabatas ng mga kinakailangang reporma sa PNP. A pipe dream, so to speak. But today we dream no longer,” he said.
(There are a few who don’t expect this proposal to progress. Perhaps they thought that enacting the necessary reforms in the PNP would remain just a dream. A pipe dream, so to speak. But today we no longer dream.)
Dela Rosa said Congress is now a step closer to “turning this dream into a reality.”
In order to enhance the PNP chief’s control in the administration, operation, and oversight of the police force, SBN 2449 proposes the implementation of a directorial staff system.
It likewise aligns the compulsory age of retirement for the PNP with that of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), setting it at 57 years old.