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Govt has difficulty in hiring 10,000 cops yearly - Roxas

Dennis Carcamo - The Philippine Star

August 27, 2014 | 4:31pm

MANILA, Philippines - The government has difficulty in hiring 10,000 policemen annually because of the stringent requirements for applicants, Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas told Congress on Wednesday.

Appearing before the House Committee on Appropriations on the DILG's proposed P104.57 billion for 2015, chaired by Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab, Roxas said the National Police Commission is finding it hard to meet the quota.

Roxas said the Napolcom is having difficulty especially in hiring Police Officer 1.

“One very discouraging reason is the requirements. An applicant must be a college graduate, must pass the neuro-psychiatric examination, agility exam and medical exam, and the actual interview,” said Roxas in response to a query raised by Gabriela partylist Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan on unfilled positions in the DILG or its agencies.

On the entrance examination alone, only 15 to 20 pass it successfully every time the Napolcom administers it.

Napolcom Vice Chairman Ed Escueta cited the need to review the present qualifications for police applicants.

“We have the positions but there are simply not enough qualified for the positions,” Escueta said.

Philippine National Police Director General Alan Purisima said the PNP has 153,157 total personnel, and it is deficient of 3,849.

For 2014, he said the PNP is authorized to hire 13,000.

Purisima cited another recruitment problem, which is start of the hiring period in July. He said this leaves the PNP only six months to entertain applications.

He proposed that the recruitment phase starts in January and to make it a continuing process to attract more applicants.

“We are currently studying the requirement process. We also intend to conduct a Campus Visitation and Information Drive to attract more college graduates to enter the PNP,” Purisima said.

At a separate interpellation by Muntinlupa City Rep. Rodolfo Biazon, Roxas said the deployment of cops follows the pattern of criminality.

Roxas was reacting to Biazon’s statement that the distribution of PNP personnel is usually done in the following manner: 58 percent in the rural areas; and 42 percent in the urban areas.

“The 1:500 ideal is the rule of thumb. The deployment follows the pattern of criminality,” said Roxas.

Asked by Biazon if the PNP is undermanned, Roxas replied “Very much so. We’ll need additionally 80,000 personnel. This means 200,000 cops that we want to be on the streets not doing clerical, personnel and administrative work.”

Biazon said he believes that police visibility or presence is community-driven.