MANILA, Philippines — After days of denying allegations of a census, the Philippine National Police acknowledged Tuesday that "advocacy groups" backed by the police have been collecting data on the barangay level, claiming also that the information is freely given to them.
Speaking in an interview aired over ANC's "Headstart," Police Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, PNP chief, admitted that data was being collected, but was careful to say that it was not a census to be used for electoral purposes but rather for peace and order support.
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"I will find out if it's really from us asking [for data.] Then it has to be stopped; it has to be investigated," Eleazar said.
"We're not using that...there's no such thing as a census [because] these are voluntary," he also said. "This is not a census...the PNP isn't going around asking for these [details.]"
To recall, Sen. Panfilo Lacson cited inside sources who said that the PNP was engaged in illegal data gathering in some barangays using development funds of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.
The senator accused Police Maj. Gen. Rodel Sermonia, the director for the PNP’s Police Community Relations unit, of gathering the email addresses and phone numbers of barangay residents across the country using the anti-insurgency task force's funds.
Lacson, the principal sponsor of the NTF-ELCAC's budget, asserted on Tuesday that Sermonia "has some explaining to do on the matter," claiming also that 30% of residents in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao already had their data collected.
“The [Chief, PNP’s] admission that such data-gathering activities are going on (and still going on, as per latest information received) is alarming. Being their former chief, I cannot allow the PNP to engage in partisan politics and be ‘bastardized’, worse — using public funds,” Lacson said in a tweet.
Eleazar also noted the Police Community Relations unit that Sermonia heads is “encouraging” signing up force multipliers for advocacy groups. He added he had cautioned Sermonia about this activity — adding that forcing people to join is not allowed.
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Asked if he felt this was a violation of the residents' data privacy rights, Eleazar said: "If you want to volunteer your information...then you exchange information." He claimed the data was gathered for "peace and order purposes" but would not explain further.
Under the Data Privacy Act, data subjects have the right to be informed why and how their personal data is being processed as well as who might have access to their information.
"We don't demand they give their information...It's these groups that want to help the PNP that ask for it [and] it's voluntary in nature. When you join an organization, just like force multipliers, that's voluntary," Eleazar also said. "Of course, if you have a small group, you would need their information."
Philstar.com has reached out to Semonia for comment. This story will be updated with his response.
READ: 'Checking or profiling?': What personal information cops can ask you for
PNP denied issue earlier on
This admission comes after Eleazar and other PNP officials "categorically and vehemently" denied Lacson's earlier allegations.
Asked for a copy of the data sheet on Sunday, Police Brig. Gen. Ronaldo Olay, PNP spokesperson, said: "We cannot give you something we do not have."
"The PNP leadership has already denied this issue and there was never an order for our personnel on the ground to do so," he told Philstar.com.
Police Lt. Col. Philip Marragun, budget and fiscal officer of the Police Community Affairs and Development Group, also said that he was "not aware of any census form."
"You may go to the nearest police stations for you to check," he said in a text message Sunday.
Earlier, former NTF-ELCAC spokesperson Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade also split hairs when he claimed that state forces were simply "checking" the situation in community pantries and not profiling organizers.
"Collective personal data must be done fairly and lawfully with respect to the rights of a data subject, including the rights to be informed and object,” the National Privacy Commission said then.
This admission came after Olay again denied that the PNP had any policy to profile the organizers of community pantries.
“There is no order from chief Sinas to have profiling or red-tagging of personalities behind these community pantries,” he said. “The intention of the PNP there is to serve the best intention of the public. We only look at it from the point of view of public safety. Police go there to monitor compliance to minimum public health standards.”
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Eleazar on Tuesday asserted there was nothing wrong with supporting pro-administration groups collecting data surrendered voluntarily to "help the government." He did not say what the data was for.
"Why are we contradicting this if the government wants the support of the people? It's for the government! What about other groups that are fighting against the government?" he said in Filipino.
Earlier, the PNP backed President Rodrigo Duterte’s suggestion to arm civilian organizations, which it claimed are "partners of the police in fighting crime."
The Commission on Audit earlier flagged the Philippine National Police's low spending or only 12% of its NTF-ELCAC funds in 2020.
— with a report from Bella Perez-Rubio
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.