PNP: Police clearance has ‘no impact’

MANILA, Philippines — Issuance of police clearance “has little or no impact” on crime prevention, a ranking Philippine National Police (PNP) official said yesterday.

Brig. Gen. Samuel Nacion, PNP deputy director for investigation and detective management, made the admission before the House committee on public order and safety during deliberations on House Bills 576 and 935 seeking the establishment of a national police clearance system and House Bill 3579 creating a centralized data system for criminal records.

At the hearing, Nacion stressed the PNP “fully supports” the three proposed legislations.

“In the issuance thereof (police clearance), however, the same has no impact, if not little impact, on the primary mandate of PNP to maintain peace and order, to ensure public safety and improve resolution efficiency,” he told lawmakers.

The PNP began issuing national police clearance in 2016 by virtue of Department of the Interior and Local Government Order No. 2016-01.

He said there are still many police stations in the country that have not issued national police clearances.

Leyte Rep. Richard Gomez, author of HB 935, said “there is still much room for improving” the system of securing police clearance even if years have passed since the government “ramped up the adoption and use of technology to deliver more efficient service to its people.”

“Although there is already a computerized system that schedules and expedites the process through digital forms and submission of requirements, the main database used to evaluate an individual’s police clearance is most likely still maintained localized,” he added.

Gomez said a person may obtain a clean record in one province but “this result may not be consistent if requested in another province.”

“This matter may be resolved efficiently by institutionalizing a national record for all reported crime incidents, warrants of arrest, pictures of arrested and wanted persons, fingerprints and ballistic examination records that is accessible by all police stations nationwide,” he added.