Congress urged to amend law on police promotion

Police officials will ask Congress to do away with the requirement of a clearance from the People’s Law Enforcement Board (PLEB) for the promotion of policemen.

Deputy Director General Jesus Verzosa, Philippine National Police deputy chief for administration, said the PNP Program Management Office is drafting a bill seeking to amend Republic Act 6975 or the PNP Law to resolve administrative and operational issues within the police force.

“The PNP only wants to rephrase and insert qualifying words/phrases to said provision to address some legal infirmities including needlessly exposing our hardworking policemen to harassment suits, personal vendettas and professional blackmail,” he said.

Verzosa said this particular provision has been used and abused by individuals, mostly criminals who wanted to exact revenge on policemen.

RA 6975, as amended by RA 8551, requires uniformed personnel who are up for promotion to present a clearance from the PLEB and the Office of the Ombudsman that they have no pending administrative and/or criminal cases, he added.

Senior Superintendent Benjamin de los Santos, PMO legislative agenda project manager, said the proposed amendments hope to narrow the coverage of the ban on promotion to include only uniformed personnel whose pending administrative and/or criminal cases before the PLEB and the Office of the Ombudsman are not work-related.

“The proposed measure will definitely ease the professional and personal pressure brought about by these harassment cases against hardworking and dedicated police officers whose only sins were to do their duties and responsibilities but who are now facing suspension or worse, possible dismissal from the service,” he said.

De los Santos, who is also a lawyer, said proponents of the PNP-PMO legislative agenda project have formed a technical working group which is now finalizing the details of the bill.

The PMO is also pushing for the implementation of the reform and reorganization plan in the PNP as envisioned by RA 8551, he added. – Cecille Suerte Felipe