Nothing wrong with PNP reform law, DILG chief tells Verzosa

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo on Tuesday said he doesn't have a problem about local chief executives having the final say on who would lead the police forces in their respective areas. Robredo issued the remark as he rejected an appeal by National Police chief Director General Jesus Verzosa to ask Congress to pass a law that would counter certain provisions of Republic Act 8551, otherwise known as the Philippine National Police Reform and Reorganization Act of 1998. "There is nothing wrong with the law, what we have to ensure is that it is implemented correctly. Before we change the law, let’s make sure we’ve given it a chance to be executed well first," Robredo said. Robredo said RA 8551 should not be modified just yet because it already places "joint responsibility" on the PNP and the local government units, both sharing "the power, authority and accountability." Under the said law, the PNP provincial police office is tasked to recommend five qualified nominees for chiefs of police to the city or municipal mayor. The mayor then will not only have the power to choose from the nominees but also, acting as deputized members of the National Police Commission (Napolcom), can "police" their own appointees. Likewise, the local chief executives are given the power to remove police officials whose performances are deemed unsatisfactory. 'Predicament of police officials' But in his letter to Robredo, Verzosa said he was asking Robredo to join him in urging Congress for the amendments because "being a former mayor... [Robredo] would understand the predicament of police officials, whose appointment in provincial, city, and municipal positions are in the hands of mayors and governors." Before taking over the helm of the DILG, Robredo was mayor of Naga City in Camarines Sur, where he was highly praised for his track record in local governance. He was the first Filipino mayor to receive a Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service in 2000. There is a public perception that police chiefs usually end up being indebted to mayors and governors due to the latter's appointive powers. In last year's massacre in Maguindanao, local policemen in Ampatuan town were reported to have participated in the killing of 57 people allegedly upon orders of the powerful Ampatuan clan. Policemen linked in the incident were all suspended and are currently facing both criminal and administrative charges. But Robredo argued that implementation of RA 8551 should first be fine-tuned before alternatives to it are laid down on the table. "Let’s make the present system work before we talk about changes or new alternatives," Robredo insisted. Created under RA 6975, the PNP is one of the line agencies directly under the DILG, along with the Bureau of Fire Protection and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology. — Mark Dalan Merueñas/RSJ/KBK, GMANews.TV