Miriam wants Napolcom directly under President

Citing police blunders during Monday's hostage crisis, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago filed a bill that would call for the immediate reorganization of the National Police Commission (Napolcom) so that the President has direct control over it. Under Senate Bill No. 1748 filed by Santiago, the Napolcom shall be subsumed under the Office of the President rather than under the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). “This way, the President will have a more direct hand in overseeing the police force, much like he handles the Armed Forces as its commander-in-chief. The Napolcom under the DILG at present only makes the chain of command longer," she said in a statement on Friday. She explained that "a direct line" between the Napolcom and the President would guide the Philippine National Police (PNP) better in handling situations like the Rizal Park hostage tragedy last Monday. The senator issued the statement after the PNP failed to resolve the hostage-taking crisis incited by dismissed police officer Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza. The 11-hour hostage standoff resulted in the death of Mendoza and eight Hong Kong tourists and various injuries to seven others. Santiago’s bill also aims to strengthen Napolcom's hold on the PNP and in the process improve police education, communication, equipment, criminal identification, and criminal statistics. “The quality of our police force depends on the hands that guide it. As peace and order is crucial our country’s socio-economic development, Napolcom should be much more than glorified nannies of cops," she said. “The PNP is national in scope and civilian in character. The Napolcom becomes the unifying element between the national and local as mandated by the Constitution," she added. Under Santiago's bill, the Napolcom shall designate an Internal Affairs Bureau. At present, the PNP has a similar department called the Internal Affairs Service which investigates and adjudicates administrative cases of police anomalies and irregularities. “Moving the jurisdiction of internal affairs to the Napolcom ensures the independence of investigation of graft and corruption within police ranks. This will help in weeding out the bad cops from the good ones," Santiago said. Mendoza was dismissed from the service due to charges of extortion and illegal arrest. He was likewise facing charges of misconduct at the Office of the Ombudsman. During the Rizal Park standoff, he demanded that he be reinstated and his case reviewed.—Kimberly Jane T. Tan/JV, GMANews.TV