PNP, BFP Recruiting additional personnel

CEBU, Philippines - If you are looking for work, no need to look so far. The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Bureau of Fire Prevention (BFP) are in need of more personnel.

The PNP will be recruiting 7,000 new police officers nationwide and 430 slots will be for the Police Regional Office 7.

This is part of the PNP’s regular recruitment program, which aims to reach the required number of 3,000 police officers for PRO-7 this year.

The regular recruitment is in line with the presidential directive to recruit 5,000 Police Officers within the next five years, which started in 2006.

The new police officers will be replacing the more than 4,000 PNP personnel, who are no longer in the line of duty because of retirement, death, dismissal and resignation for the second semester of 2008 and first semester of 2009.

For 2009, National Capital Region has the biggest distribution of police officers with a quota of 1,000 recruits, followed by PRO 5 with 550 slots.

Earlier, PNP officials in Cebu have said that they are in need of more personnel.

PNP requires the applicant to be a Filipino citizen and he or she must possess a formal baccalaureate degree from a recognized institute of learning and should have passed a psychological or psychiatric, drug and physical test administered by the PNP or by any government hospital accredited by the Napolcom.

Aside from those requirements, the applicant must possess eligibility acquired from examinations such as bar and board exams, PNP entrance exam, license examination for criminology graduate or that given by the Civil Service Commission.

Those who wish to apply should present their application letter personally to the police office .

Applicants from highly urbanized cities are to submit their applications to their respective provincial police offices for initial screening.

More Firemen Too

The BFP-Central Visayas announced its need for more firefighters.

This is one of the efforts to strengthen the workforce of the bureau and also to improve BFP’s performance as they celebrate fire prevention month this March.

Chief Superintendent Rolando M. Bandilla Jr., BFP Officer-In-Charge announced that 20 slots are available.

According to BFP-7, applicants must be Filipino citizens, of good moral character, must be 21 to 30 years old and at least 5’4” for males and 5’2” for females.

Applicants must also be a bachelor’s degree holder and with a second level eligibility from the Professional Regulations Commission and Civil Service Commission.

Qualified applicants must submit a folder containing three copies each of personal data sheet and report rating or eligibility.

They must also submit their transcript of records or diploma, birth certificate, marriage contract for married females and clearances from the barangay, Fiscal, Municipal Regional Trial Court, Police and the National Bureau of Investigation.

Photocopied documents to be submitted must be duly authenticated by the issuing agency.

Fewer Fires

Meanwhile, BFP-7 has released a comparative fire incident report on 2007 and 2008.

Based on the report, there has been a decrease of 25.97 percent in the number of fire incidents. There were 643 recorded fire incidents on 2007 while there were only 476 on 2008.

Electrical failures remained the leading origin of fire incidents in 175 cases on 2008 and 190 on 2007.

Second leading common cause is an open flame or cooking in 103 cases on 2008 and 170 on 2007.

The estimated fire damages on 2007 reached P116,075,160. On 2008, it was reduced to P80,746,335 along with the decrease in the number of fire incidents.–AJ de la Torre and Jessica Ann Pareja/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)