MANILA – The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Wednesday said it is open to discussing with Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla on changes in the organizational structure of the institution, particularly trimming the number of generals.
In a press briefing Wednesday at Camp Crame, Quezon City, PNP spokesperson and information chief Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo said they would present their own proposed interim organizational structure to Remulla.
She said bringing down the number of generals from the current 111 to just 25 is difficult, considering the number of important positions in the PNP.
“These are the main components of PNP that would require further study and again the PNP, as I said is willing to sit down to consult and dialogue with the SILG so that he would see the wisdom behind the proposed interim organization of the PNP which is aimed at really streamlining and further removing the administrative and operational capability of the PNP,” said Fajardo.
One of the possible suggestions is to deactivate some of the PNP units, particularly the Area Police Command (APC) which was previously called the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations.
The PNP has five APCs — Northern Luzon, Southern Luzon, Visayas, Eastern Mindanao and Western Mindanao — all of which should be headed by three-star police generals based on the existing rules. All of its deputies are positions that require at least a one-star rank.
The APC was created to synchronize the operation with the AFP which has the same number of area commands.
Fajardo said the PNP is willing to deactivate the five APCs and other police units, which she said is already stipulated in the proposed bill which was already submitted to Congress.
Fajardo explained the area police commands would be removed, reducing the number of key positions for police generals.
Fajardo said the PNP has evolved since Republic Act (RA) 6975, the law that established the police force under the DILG, was enacted in 1990.
Currently, she said there are 111 police generals and all of them are holding positions that require one-star to three-star ranks based on the existing organizational structure of the PNP.
The highest ranking position in the police organization, the Chief PNP, is a four-star rank while the three other positions in the Command Group, composed of the top four positions in the organization, require a three-star rank.
Each of the 11 directorates of the PNP are led by two-star generals. This does not include the head of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, which is also a two-star position.
On the other hand, there are 17 Police Regional Offices in the country and except for the position of the director of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), the five police districts are supervised by one-star generals.
Other units in the PNP that are headed by at least one-star general are under the National Support Units (NSUs) like the ACG, the PNP Drug Enforcement Unit, the Anti-Kidnapping Group, the Intelligence Group and the Highway Patrol Group.
The director of another important PNP national support unit, the elite Special Action Force (SAF), is headed by a two-star general.
Another factor that must also be considered is the significant increase in the number of PNP personnel, which is part of the efforts to meet the international standard in policing that requires 1:500 police to population ratio.
The current strength of the PNP is more than 230, 000 and as of 2020, the population of the Philippines is 109 million.
On the other hand, the strength of the Armed Forces of the Philippines is around 160, 000 but currently, it has around 120 generals while the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), a smaller unit compared to the PNP, has 32 generals.
On Tuesday, Remulla said the planned PNP reorganization was among the topics discussed during a sectoral meeting presided over by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in Malacañang.
The new DILG chief said reforming the “top heavy” police force would be among his priorities.
Earlier, PNP chief Gen. Rommel Marbil appealed to lawmakers to amend RA 6975 to address what he considers its organizational flaws and align with the latest global trends in law enforcement. (PNA)