Improved PNP performance negated by lack of personnel, equipment - report

MANILA, Philippines - The performance of the Philippine National Police (PNP) posted improvements over the last few years but these remain largely unfelt as they are overshadowed by bigger problems of lack of personnel and equipment. This is among the primary findings of the September 2008 agency budget notes of the House of Representatives' Congressional Planning and Budget Department released Tuesday. According to the report, the PNP's efficiency rate or rate of crimes solved against crimes reported from January to June 2008 posted a high 89.2 percent, a 3.1 percent improvement from 2007. Similarly, the index and non-index crime rate went down from 7.2 in 2006 to 6.6 in 2007. The study, however, noted that undermanning and ill-equipage of police forces have hindered in its "optimum performance." It noted that the 2007 ratio of police officers to the population was one officer for every 500 people - already an improvement from the 1:700 police-to-civilian ratio in 2005. This is a far cry from the ratio of one police officer for every 300 civilians which is the standard maintained in developed countries. The House report also said that out of 125,893 police officers, only 38 percent are armed with pistols. It added that while the PNP receives the biggest share in the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) budget, 88 to 90 percent of the PNP budget goes to personal services, leaving "a very small portion" for maintenance and other operating expenditures (MOOE) and capital outlays. This problem is shared by other agencies attached to the DILG including the Bureau of Jail Management and Penalogy and the Bureau of Fire Protection, the report stated. High congestion rate in prisons ranges from 52 percent to as high as 821 percent, the report quoted the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology as saying. The ratio of fireman to population remains at 2006 levels with one fireman for every 5,500 residents or 1,100 households, the report added. To address this problem, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has proposed a P61.9-billion budget for the DILG for 2009, a more than P8 billion increase from 2008's P53.5 billion. The DILG plans to spend P230 million next year for the creation of new jail officer positions, procurement of firearms, acquisition of prisoner's vans, and improvement and construction of jail facilities. The budget for the BFP, meanwhile, will be increased by 1.05 billion for additional fire trucks and fire fighting gears in addition to those it has already acquired as part of its modernization project. The House appropriations committee chaired by Quirino Rep. Junie Cua will conduct the DILG's budget briefing later during the day. - Johanna Camille Sisante, GMANews.TV