WHEN the number of police personnel serving the Philippine population of around 110 million is mentioned in any serious discussion, the police-to-population ratio always comes to mind.
Experts have said that a ratio of 1:500 is ideal, which means one policeman for every 500 individuals. The ramping up of police recruitment undertaken by the previous administration has increased the uniformed personnel strength of the PNP to a 1:505 police-to-population ratio.
With a total of 228,000 personnel, the police organization may now comfortably say that it has the full complement of warm bodies to provide peace and order to all our communities.
‘There are many redundancies in the police force that the new DILG secretary is not one to keep quiet about, and he needs all the support from Congress and the Executive Department to effect the reforms…’
The organizational chart of the PNP shows that there are 19 offices under the National Headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City; 12 Directorial Staff offices; five Area Police Commands, 19 National Administration Support Units, and 17 National Operational Support Units. There are of course police regional offices, provincial police offices, and city and municipality police offices. All these offices, save for the provincial and local government units level, are headed by police generals.
The chart also shows that the PNP is headed by Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil, with Maj. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. as acting deputy chief for administration, Lt. Gen. Michael John Dubria as deputy chief for operations, and Maj. Gen. Edgar Alan Okubo as acting chief of the directorial staff. Its spokesperson is also a brigadier general, Jean Fajardo.
Since he is the ultimate head of the police, newly appointed Interior Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla necessarily had to review the PNP’s jurisdictional and operations structure, laws and circulars by which the PNP is operating, and its annual budget.
One of Remulla’s initial comments, which might make many officers sad, is that the PNP is “top heavy” — it has too many generals. A number of generals do not have commands. Remulla cited the area police commands, which are headed by senior police generals although “there are no personnel below them.”
The DILG secretary said pruning the number of generals is one of the recommendations he made to President Marcos Jr as part of his “four-month process” to reorganize the police force. Remulla said the Chief Executive is receptive to the idea of reorganization.
“The reforms are recommendatory four months from now. We’re working together with the UP College of Public Administration to get complete details on how we can reform it, especially the structure because the PNP is top-heavy now. I think we have 133 generals. I think I want it whittled down to 25 to flatten the organization. So, those are some of the recommendations that we’re gonna make,” he said in a Palace briefing.
Secretary Remulla is correct in pointing out that Republic Act 6975, the law that created the Philippine National Police, is already 34 years old, and “we need to revisit it.”
There are many redundancies in the police force that the new DILG secretary is not one to keep quiet about, and he needs all the support from Congress and the Executive Department to effect the reforms that he has in mind.
