College degree waived for 300 long-time cops

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

THE NATIONAL Police Commission (Napolcom) has issued an order waiving the college degree requirement for permanent appointment in the Philippine National Police for more than 300 policemen without baccalaureate degrees.

Interior Secretary and Napolcom Chair Mel Senen Sarmiento said the agency issued four separate resolutions containing the names of the 319 noncommissioned officers (NCOs) whose ranks ranged from Police Officer 1 to Senior Police Officer 3.

Sarmiento said the exemption granted to the policemen is provided for in Republic Act No. 9708, which allows policemen to be eligible for promotion despite pending complaints against them.

Under the law, policemen in the government service for more than 15 years and with exemplary performance are no longer required to comply with the minimum educational requirement of a formal baccalaureate degree in order to be suitable for permanent appointment.

Over the years, policemen without college degrees have been at risk of being attrited or terminated from the service due to nonpromotion.

A Napolcom inventory recorded 1,852 NCOs without college degrees but who had been in the government service for more than 15 years upon the effectivity of RA 9708 on Aug. 11, 2009.

“The Napolcom continues to evaluate the documents submitted by the remaining 1,533 NCOs to determine if they satisfy the requirements to be granted the exemption,” Escueta said.

A policeman must have a minimum average adjectival rating of “very satisfactory” or its numerical equivalent in his performance evaluation rating for two years prior to the effectivity of RA 9708.Julie M. Aurelio