PNP to review, release guidelines on security guards wearing holiday costumes

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) will review and release guidelines on security guards wearing holiday costumes in areas such as malls as this may bring confusion, police chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said Friday.

Eleazar said security guards should dress accordingly as this may bring confusion, especially as they also carry guns.

“Magandang obserbasyon yan na maaaring magdulot ng hindi pagkakaintindihan o pagkalituhan lalo na itong mga security guards na mukhang hindi naman na security guards at meron pa namang baril,” Eleazar said in an interview with Teleradyo.

(That’s a good observation because that may bring in misunderstanding or confusion especially when security guards no longer look like security guards and they still carry guns.)

“Magpapalabas tayo ng guidelines dyan (We will release guidelines on that),” he added.

Eleazar said he will coordinate with the PNP-Supervisory Office for Security and Investigation Agencies (SOSIA), which oversees operation of the security agencies, for the release of the guidelines regarding the matter.

“Hindi naman pwedeng basta na lang na ang mga security guard ay di na mukhang security guard. Ire-review natin yan. Tamang-tama, maganda yan na mapag-usapan natin,” Eleazar said.

(Security guards cannot simply not just look like security guards. We will review that. It is good that we talk about that.)

“Ire-remind natin… particularly ang ating SOSIA na maglabas sila ng panuntunan para mas malinaw para sa ating security agency tungkol dito,” he added.

(We will remind the SOSIA to release guidelines so our security agencies will be clarified about this.)

Back in 2018, then PNP chief director Gen. Oscar Albayalde said there is no problem if security guards of hotels and malls will wear costumes rather than their uniforms as long as they get permission from the PNP-SOSIA. 

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