POLICE Lieutenant General Guillermo Eleazar, deputy chief for administration, conducted an inspection audit of police personnel detailed in different units in Central Luzon on Friday, October 9, in the face of "localization" move being pushed by top officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
The objective, Eleazar said, is to check the administrative and operational performance of Police Regional Office (PRO)-Central Luzon and compare it with the public expectation in line with the PNP 9-point program of CPNP Director Geneal Camilo Prancatius Cascolan, including localization of police personnel assignments.
"The localization thrust involved non-commissioned police officers. It also strengthens other PNP offices, including the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations (Dipo) by giving it serious task and responsibilities in terms of anti-insurgency campaign, disaster response and search and rescue operations," said Eleazar during his first visit in the regional police headquarters since he was designated as the PNP deputy director general for Administration (DDA).
He said the PNP will check the efforts of PRO-Central Luzon, so that "we can recommend ways to improve and what support it needed for the welfare of Central Luzon police personnel."
The localization program, Eleazar said, is based on the PNP Law where one of the provisions is calling for the assignment of policemen in places where they reside for them to be more effective and capable law enforcers.
"We have to study and evaluate properly to balance the strength of PNP in the countryside and the effect of localization to the organization to make sure that everything will run smoothly as expected," Eleazar said, adding that the localization of assignment is the idea of PNP Chief Cascolan.
Eleazar cited as an example the NCR Police Office where more than 7,000 cops have signified interest to be reassigned to places where their families are staying. This can happen through swapping or replacement only.
"Kailangan kung ililipat ang isang pulis sa kanyang bayan kailangan meron kaswap or kapalit upang hindi magkulang ng personnel ang isang unit," Eleazar said.
He said parameters and guidelines will be released for those who qualified and applied for reassignment for us to determine who among the applicants will be listed as priority.
One of the parameters, Eleazar said, is that an applicant for reassignment must be a natural born on the place where he intends to be assigned, no pending cases in any courts and not holding sensitive position.
"All of these are being considered," he said.
"We will however see to it that the localization program will not be a vicious cycle," Eleazar pointed out, adding that the program will be implemented once the parameters and guidelines are in place. (Chris Navarro)