Character building program for cops launched in GenSan

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines – A nationwide character building initiative for the country’s more than 140,000-strong police force was launched here early this week.

Behind the program are the Philippine National Police (PNP), Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI), and non-governmental organization (NGO) partner Character Building Foundation Inc.

“This underscores our belief that values transformation within the police ranks will be the key to peace and order in the communities and we share this belief with our partners from the private sector and NGO,” said Senior Superintendent Fernandino Sevilla, director of the PNP’s Center for Police Strategy Management.

Sevilla said they launched the program dubbed as “Gawin ang Tama (Do What is Right)” in South Cotabato but will implement it nationwide.

SMI general manager Mark Williams said his company is “anchored on the very same principles of transparency, accountability and stakeholder participation and we readily accepted this invitation to be partners in this notable advocacy.”

Sevilla said the program involves requiring every member of the police force to have an individual performance card to monitor every activity for the day.”

“This score card, used by the rank-and-file and the top officers, will be a transparent document to monitor our performance and behavior on a day-to-day basis,” he said.

“The program is behavior-based and is designed to instill discipline and good habits,” he added. “We are aiming for a highly professionalized PNP by the year 2030.”