BAGUIO City Mayor Mauricio Domogan appealed to put public order and safety first before removing the appointing power of local chief executives in choosing local police chiefs.
Domogan urged lawmakers to strengthen the provisions of Republic Act (RA) 6975 or the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Act that established the Philippine National Police (PNP).
“Okay lang siguro basta i-provide nila iyong complete budget for the operation of the police. Kasi ang mahirap diyan kung sino-sino ang ilalagay nila, gusto nila tauhan nila who does not cooperate with the City Government. Problema natin iyan,” Domogan said.
Domogan’s sentiments was made after Senator Panfilo Lacson filed Senate Bill 971 or a bill professionalizing police service, which aims to amend the current law authorizing local chief executives to appoint their local police chief.
The local chief executive pointed out if lawmakers remove the authority of governors and mayors to appoint their respective chiefs of police, the national government should also make sure it will fully fund the needs of the PNP so local governments will no longer allocate budgets for the operation of the police in their places.
In the Senate Bill, city and town chiefs will be chosen by the provincial police director from a set of five officials recommended by the PNP Senior Officers Placement and Promotion Board.
The mayor lamented the practice of PNP officials in unjustly relieving chiefs of police and using their prerogative to assign officers-in-charge just to accommodate their close allies who were given positions in the PNP hierarchy.
“Hindi naman tama na palitan iyong inyong chief of police without consultation sa local government unit. Parang sina sakripisyo mo ang peace and order sa lugar na iyan kapag ganyan ang ginawa mo,” Domogan stated.
It was learned that the City Government allocates some P38 million annually from its budget as assistance to the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) to sustain its operational requirements in the implementation of appropriate peacekeeping and anti-criminality strategies towards making the city a peaceful place.
Under existing rules and regulations, the PNP is mandated to submit a short-list of qualified senior police officials to the concerned local chief executive from where the latter can choose, within a period of ten days upon receipt of the said list, the next chief of police in his or her area of jurisdiction.
The bill proposed in the senate was to isolate the PNP from politics, but Domogan feared the police might be putting someone in a position not because of its qualifications but because of connection.
“Wala tayong problema kung gusto nilang palitan dahil may kasalanan iyong chief of police or kung mapromote iyong chief of police at gusto niyang mapromote ok lang, ngunit huwag naman iyong sitwasyon na maganda ang performance yung inyong chief of police porke meron daw iyong classmate ng nakakataas ay alisin mo na iyong local chief at papalitan mo ng classmate na may koneksiyon,” Domogan added.