Senate leader vows support for PNP needs

Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” F. Zubiri (Bibo Nueva España/Senate PRIB)

The Senate has assured the Philippine National Police of legislative support through the passage of measures seeking to address the evolving needs of the police force, including institutional improvement and arms procurement.

In a speech during the 44th alumni homecoming of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) in Silang, Cavite, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri on Sunday said the upper chamber is doing everything in its power to support the PNP as he praised the police force for its contribution to advancing the welfare of the people.

“[A]s legislators and law enforcers, we have to work hand-in-hand. Whatever instruments we wield, whether it be guns or pens, our goal is the same: to protect and uplift our communities and the whole nation,” Zubiri said.

Senate support

Among the legislative support cited by Zubiri includes the PNP Organizational Reforms Act, which the Senate passed on the third and final reading last month. The measure aims to update the old structures of the PNP and strengthen and streamline its leadership, organization and management.

The Jail Integration Act, which will transfer provincial and subprovincial jails from the supervision of local governments to the supervision of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), was also passed on third and final reading last week in the Senate.

“Under the expert management of the BJMP, we hope to create a more efficient and standardized system of management for all persons deprived of liberty, no matter where they are serving their time,” Zubiri explained.

He added that the bill would complement the Heinous Crimes Facility Act, passed in the 18th Congress and obtained funding this year.

“With that supermax facility in Mindoro, we hope to decongest our jails, and we hope to establish a better managed penitentiary system that will help low-level offenders have a truly rehabilitative time in prison, away from the influence of high-level offenders,” the Senate leader noted.

READ: Senate approves PNP reform bill on third, final reading

He also mentioned that the committee report for the Bureau of Fire Protection and BJMP Rank Classification Act is out and is ready for plenary debates.

Zubiri also cited the passage in 2021 of Republic Act No. 11549, or the Height Equality Act, that reduced the height requirement for not only police recruits but also officers of firefighters and jail and corrections officers.

“We know that a good cop is not defined by their height, what counts is their courage, their commitment, and their integrity. And so this law opened the doors for many more Filipinos to enter the police force and dedicate themselves to the service of our people,” the senator from Bukidnon said. INQ