THE PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) wants to keep the authority over the deployment and reassignment of officers in the planned Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BAR).

Under the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), such power is given to the BAR’s chief minister.

In a position paper delivered on Tuesday, Feb. 20, to the House of Representatives’ committee on local government, joint with committees on Mindanao affairs and peace, reconciliation, and unity, PNP Director for Plans Edwin C. Roque said that “while the employment and deployment powers are encompassed with the operational and control powers granted to chief minister, the power to assign and reassign police are ought to be properly exercised by police commanders.”

Mr. Roque added that the implementing rules and regulations of the law, if enacted, should provide clearly if the members of the Bangsamoro police can be assigned outside the BAR and if the law enforcers from outside the region can be assigned to the region.

Moreover, Mr. Roque said the proposed BBL should include a provision that would indicate that the general minimum qualifications of the PNP would remain the basis in recruiting members of the Bangsamoro police.

“This will give full significance to the legislative intent to create a Bangsamoro police that is an integral part of PNP,” Mr. Roque said.

He referred to House Bill (HB) 92 authored by Deputy Speaker Bai Sandra A. Sema, a copy of which the PNP received just that morning, instead of the consolidated bill on the Bangsamoro.

Meanwhile, Zamboanga Rep. Celso L. Lobregat, a member of the joint committee, also pointed out that under the current national system, the operational control and jurisdiction over the police force “is exercised by municipal mayor or city mayor.”

“Why should you give it now to the chief minister, ’di ba? Instead of devolving, parang naging (it becomes) centralized,” Mr. Lobregat said in a chance interview on the sidelines of the committee hearing.

Meanwhile, Mr. Lobregat said the committee is looking to conduct a line-by-line voting on the provisions of the substitute bill before the lower chamber goes on a seven-week break in March, but acknowledged that the proposal “will not go to plenary.”

The proposal for a basic law for the Bangsamoro, which is a consolidation of HBs 92, 6475, 6121, and 6263, will create a new political and geographical entity that will replace the existing Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). — Minde Nyl R. dela Cruz

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