Hiring of guards more practical, will increase police on field—PNP spokesman

FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—After drawing much flak from the public and the media, the Philippine National Police justified Friday the hiring of security guards to man the gates of its national headquarters in Quezon City.

Chief Superintendent Reuben Theodore Sindac, PNP Public Information Office chief, said more than 100 policemen can be downloaded on the streets to increase police presence once the employment of the security guards from an agency materialized.

The budget, which Sindac stressed will undergo bidding process, is projected to reach P21 million pesos for the entire year or P1.7 million per month for about 80 to 100 security guards.

Addressing critcisms on the projected budget for the revamp, Sindac pointed out that the changes will be more economical.

“A Police Officer 1 is paid P18,000 to P20,000 plus other benefits while a security guard is paid about P15,000. From the resources alone, you can see the disparity,” Sindac said, noting that they will hire guards enough for three shifts per day.

Although the PNP cannot finalize the actual date of implementation, Sindac said the bidding process under the PNP Bids and Awards Committee will start “as soon as possible.”

“This will go through the regular bidding process and accounting procedure. [We will be] transparent as we can make it to be,” he said.

Sindac, meanwhile, assured that the PNP will outsource security guards who are of “high-caliber and high-competence.”

“We will hire security guards who have been known for good standing service of excellence and professionalism. [Specifically], who are known for guarding foreign embassies, hotels, and other significant establishments,” the police official said.

“There is an unquantifiable benefit here which is the policemen going back to the streets, doing their foremost duties of serving our people and protecting them, patrolling the street and investigating crimes, rather than the sentinel duties… Security guards are trained for stationary jobs. We must use the right person for the right function,” he added.

No security agency yet

February last year, PNP conducted a three-day dry run of the proposal. At least 21 security guards from Utopia Security Agency were sent to Camp Crame and were made to guard the camp’s Santolan Gate where pedestrians enter as well as the gates where vehicles enter.

The security agency the PNP will commission, however, is yet to be negotiated on, said Sindac.

For the initial months of its implementation, he clarified that this would only take effect at the PNP National Headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

“If it will work well here, this will be replicated and cascaded down to the regions,” Sindac added.

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