THE Philippine National Police (PNP) and mall operator SM Prime Holdings Inc. signed on Wednesday, October 14, 2020, a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on the establishment of National Police Clearance (NPC) hubs in selected SM malls nationwide in a bid to improve public access to PNP services.
PNP Chief Camilo Cascolan and SM Prime president Jeffrey Lim signed the MOA at the Government Services Express in SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.
Aside from decongesting PNP camps and installation, Cascolan said the establishment of NPC desks in some SM malls provides added convenience to the public.
“This is the mall. Obviously there are a lot of people going in and out and the only way that we would be able to ease the crowd in our stations would be to push out our clearance offices so that we would be able to give much more importance to those who are applying for clearances,” Cascolan said in an interview.
“There are a lot of people here. The mall is accessible so with this police clearance, it would be better and it would ease the application of all police clearances,” he added.
The first NPC desk would be set up at the Mall of Asia. Similar desks will also be set up in SM Southmall, SM North EDSA, SM Bacoor, SM Pampanga, SM Cabanatuan, SM Cebu, and SM Cagayan de Oro.
Cascolan said the NPC is different from the clearance being issued by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). The NBI clearance covers cases filed against an individual while the police clearance covers criminal records.
He said they will encourage the companies to include the NPC in the employment requirements.
Cascolan said they are already discussing with the NBI the plan to come up with a unified NBI and PNP clearance.
Applicants for the NPC may either register online or apply at their chosen police station.
Upon obtaining an appointment, applicants may proceed to their selected police station on the scheduled date and present two valid IDs, reference number, and official receipt of payment.
The program is part of the PNP’s digital transformation in order to adapt to the new normal where human interventions are lessened.
It is also a centralized system where criminals can be easily tracked by the police even though they move from one city to another. (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo/SunStar Philippines)