Mayors seek return of control over police

The 1,496-member League of Municipalities (LMP) is seeking the return of police control and supervision back to the municipal mayors to further strengthen the campaign against criminality.

Newly elected LMP president Ramon Guico said mayors, as frontline local government executives, must have full authority over police forces to be more effective in fighting criminal activities at the local level.

"We need to directly supervise the movement of our police forces because we are also directly accountable to our people who gave us the mandate to provide them a peaceful community where law and order reign supreme," said Guico, mayor of Binalonan, Pangasinan.

He said the LMP would actively lobby in Congress for the return of those powers through the passage of major amendments of the Local Government Code of 1991.

Prior to the passage of the code, mayors had authority to select and supervise police units in their localities. Under the old setup, there were two sets of law enforcers – one under the mayor and another under the Philippine Constabulary, which served as the national police.

At present, municipal mayors are given limited control by the Department of the Interior and Local Government over police units, including the right to choose from among three candidates recommended by the provincial director of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in their respective localities.

A town mayor can also sit as chairman of the local peace and order council. – Perseus Echeminada