BANGUED, Abra -- A substitute bill to modernize and reform the Philippine National Police is ready for house deliberation after the Technical Working Group (TWG) chaired by Abra lawmaker Joseph Sto. Niño Bernos has wrapped up detailing how the police organization will become more effective and attuned to the times.
The substitute bill, which is expected to be deliberated soon by the House Committee on Public Order and Safety, consists of chapters on the organizational, personnel, financial, infrastructure and acquisition developments within the police force.
It also includes a chapter on the Internal Affairs Service and how erring policemen can be disciplined in accordance with a distinct police justice system.
Bernos, vice chair of the House Committee on Public Order and Safety, has high hopes for the success of the substitute bill. “Its passage is an urgent matter.”
“With the current developments regarding the public safety and the number of complaints against abusive policemen, I am optimistic that this Bill will be swiftly approved by the Committee and by the entire House who believe that the national police should be capacitated towards a more effective practice of law enforcement,” Bernos explained.
Among those included in the draft substitute bill is the transfer of the training of the police cadets to the Philippine National Police Academy from the Philippine Public Safety College; the procurement system within the bounds of the Government Procurement and Reform Act while having special provisions to ensure efficient acquisition of weapons and equipment; changing of rank titles to reflect military style; and increased role for the PNP on internal security operations, among others.
Bernos, a former mayor in his hometown La Paz, Abra, sees the draft bill as a tool for real change in the PNP, still wrought by negative public perception amidst allegations of corruption within its ranks.
“Through legislation, we can effect change to the PNP,” the Abra lawmaker said.
“Through this bill, we are adapting the PNP to the changing times and to the current state of affairs in the country,” he added.
It is high time, Bernos reiterated, “(that) we carve out a more active and more conscientious police force to keep the people and the communities safe from crime, illegal drugs, and terrorism.” (PR)