REP. Brian Yamsuan (PL, Bicol Saro) yesterday urged new PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil to ensure the regular training and continuing education of all uniformed personnel, saying many of them still lack knowledge on basic operational procedures which leads to cases of police brutality, including illegal arrests.
The lawmaker, a former assistant secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), pointed out that in several hearings conducted by the House Committee on public order and safety, police officers called before the panel are often accused of conducting illegal arrests and violating the PNP’s operational procedures.
“We hope that under Gen. Marbil’s leadership, the PNP would also invest in the training and continuing education of police officers to prevent misconduct and, at the same time, improve the PNP’s evidence-gathering techniques and conviction rates in criminal cases,” Yamsuan said.
He cited the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) record showing that 80 to 90 percent of cases filed by prosecutors have been dismissed by the courts because of a lack of evidence or a result of technicalities caused by shortcomings often committed by law enforcers at the scene of the crime.
Yamsuan said the widespread use of the PNP of tamper-proof body-worn cameras and the shift to modern crime investigation techniques as he had proposed in his House Bill (HB) 7975 would aid Marbil in realizing his goal of transforming the PNP into a modern police force truly worthy of being called the “protectors of the people.”
The lawmaker noted that for 2024, the PNP has proposed a total budget of P1.26 billion for the education and training of its uniformed personnel, which is 15 percent lower than the actual appropriation of P1.47 billion given to the same program this year.
Yamsuan expressed his support for Marbil’s plan to maximize the power of technology and social media in law enforcement, saying communicating better with the public, “is a major step in building the public’s trust and confidence in the PNP.”
“General Marbil has my full support when it comes to improving the PNP’s efficiency in enforcing the law through the use of digital tools and modern crime investigation techniques. This strategy will also enhance transparency in police operations and help the PNP garner support from the public in its job of preventing crime,” said Yamsuan.
Marbil’s success in spearheading the PNP’s digital transformation is crucial to fulfilling President Marcos Jr.’s marching orders for him to address emerging threats to the country’s peace and order, such as cybercrime, terrorism and transnational crimes, Yamsuan said.
“We laud the appointment by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. of General Marbil as the new chief of the PNP. We are optimistic that with Gen. Marbil at the helm of the PNP, substantial investments in technology and innovation will be made to better equip the PNP in protecting the public and meeting new challenges to law enforcement,” he said.
