Senator wants special units for police recruits to be shielded from corruption

By Camille A. Aguinaldo, Reporter
SENATOR Panfilo M. Lacson on Thursday said he wants a special unit under the regional police districts to supervise newly recruited police officers in order to tackle corruption issues hounding the Philippine National Police (PNP).
“My suggestion is to create a special unit that will only address the supervision of new trainees. I think they are considering that. Even on the regional level, they have a unit that will do nothing except to focus on it,” Mr. Lacson said at the Kapihan sa Senado media forum.
In past Senate hearings, Mr. Lacson said they found there was nothing in the training of aspiring police officers. He said the issue of corruption is espoused by the police officers tasked to supervise the trainees.
“Once they are deployed in the field as OJT (on-the-job trainees), the PNP lets whoever manage them….What happens is, if the appointed SPO1, SPO2 are delinquent cops, they are using the OJT in extortion,” said Mr. Lacson, who is also a former PNP chief.
“If you are the new recruit, you would think that it’s okay to be a delinquent police, so there is a wrong notion that what they are doing is right…so the standard of integrity is declining,” he added.
Aside from this proposal, Mr. Lacson, who chairs the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, said he will also push for the passage of the bill transferring police training from the Philippine Public Safety College to the PNP. Senate Bill 1898 amends Republic Act No. 6975 or the Department of Interior and Local Government Act of 1990. It was approved on third reading by both chambers of Congress in August.
If enacted into law, the PNP Academy — which trains commissioned officers — will be under the direct supervision and control of the PNP chief while supervision and control of the National Police Training Institute — which trains noncommissioned officers — will be determined in the revised organizational structure of the said unit.
“The soonest possible time, if we reconcile whatever disagreeing provisions, the training will be transferred….I was hoping that the House of Representatives will just adopt the Senate version for the speedy enrollment of the bill. This year, it can be passed,” Mr. Lacson said.