FILE PHOTO: Jonvic Remulla. INQUIRER FILES
MANILA, Philippines – Newly appointed Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla took the reins of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Wednesday, aiming to make promotions in the Philippine National Police (PNP) more fair.
“I want to remove the politics from the PNP. I want to make it a merit-based system [of] who gets promoted and who doesn’t. Ang nangyayari kasi ngayon ay palakasan (What is happening now is padrino system or patronage.),” Remulla told reporters after the turnover ceremony at the National Police Commission Center in Quezon City.
READ: PNP welcomes Jonvic Remulla’s appointment as DILG chief
In response, PNP spokesperson BGen. Jean Fajardo said in a briefing at Camp Crame that the PNP has existing policies to avoid patronage, particularly in promoting and designating senior officers.
She pointed to the PNP’s Senior Officers’ Placement and Promotion Board (SOPBB), the body tasked with vetting and shortlisting officers for key positions.
“We have an existing SOPPB from the national headquarters to make sure that only the competent and qualified officers are put into positions,” Fajardo said in Filipino.
“As much as possible, we insulate the PNP, especially from political influence in assignments. The PNP is open to discussing this with our new DILG secretary,” she added.
The law reorganizing the national police force under the DILG gives local government executives the authority to choose their chiefs of police from the recommended list and assign officers to their respective cities or municipalities.
Remulla clarified that he intends to maintain the prerogative of LGUs in the selection process, citing his experience as governor of Cavite.
“LGUs should be included,” he added in Filipino.
The DILG chief also said he would recommend “structural changes” in the PNP after taking his oath on Tuesday.
READ: New DILG chief Remulla to propose PNP ‘structural changes’
Remulla succeeded former DILG secretary Benhur Abolos, who resigned from the post on Monday in his bid for a Senate seat in the 2025 polls.