THE Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) seeks an upgrade of its classification from Class C to Class B, a move aimed to address a persistent shortage in police personnel and operational resources.
This reclassification could significantly boost the office’s manpower allocation, enhancing police presence and response capabilities across the city.
The initiative gained renewed focus following the visit of the new National Police Commission (Napolcom) 7 Director Maximo Lasaca on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
Lasaca’s prior experience with Napolcom included oversight of MCPO as a provisional officer for north Cebu, giving him direct insight into the challenges.
Lasaca said MCPO’s issue on classification has lingered for over two decades due to the city’s inability to meet the required population count during the official census period.
Napolcom standards dictate four key criteria for police office reclassification: population size, local income, territorial coverage and land area.
“Every time there’s a census, it falls below the threshold. Our residents are transient; they only come during workdays. So, by the time the census happens, they’re no longer around, and it doesn’t reach the threshold,” Lasaca said.
Transient population
While Mandaue meets most of the requirements, Lasaca said the city’s transient population, comprising commuters who work in the city but reside elsewhere, affects the official census count, making it difficult to justify a reclassification.
The current classification directly impacts MCPO’s manpower.
“There’s an advantage if your classification is higher because you get more personnel allocation. Compared to Cebu City, they have more,” Lasaca said.
The ideal police-to-population ratio is one officer for every 500 residents; however, this is rarely achieved, even in Metro Manila.
In Mandaue’s case, some precincts report a ratio of 1:700, indicating a significant shortage of officers on the ground.
He said an upgrade to Class B could potentially increase MCPO’s personnel from the current 547 to at least 800 officers, which would help improve police visibility and response capability citywide.
Critical need
Lasaca emphasized that a critical need for human resources persists, highlighting that even a 1:1500 ratio, though within an acceptable range, is still insufficient.
He said enough human resources are needed, stressing that addressing the personnel gap is crucial for the Philippine National Police (PNP) to meet both administrative and operational demands.
Lasaca also urged the authorities to integrate the use of technology in law enforcement to alleviate the burden on under-resourced units and enhance overall crime-fighting efficiency.
Napolcom has pledged its support to MCPO in its efforts towards reclassification, in line with its mandate under Republic Act 8551, also known as the Philippine National Police Reform and Reorganization Act of 1998, to oversee the PNP’s management, control, and supervision. / CAV