Decentralized police exams sought for ARMM

MAGUINDANAO , Philippines   â€“ The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) police office and the provincial government of Maguindanao want a decentralized conduct of the police entrance examinations  to enable Muslim applicants in far-flung areas to join the force.

The move was announced by Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu and ARMM police director Chief Superintendent Noel delos Reyes during a meeting at the Camp S.K. Pendatun in Parang town Monday.

Mangudadatu said he would ask the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to draft a resolution asking the Philippine National Police and the National Police Commission to conduct the entrance exams in different Maguindanao towns.

“There are students in the province who want to join the PNP, but whose parents cannot even afford to send them to the cities where the entrance exams are being traditionally administered,” Mangudadatu said.

Delos Reyes told journalists who covered Monday’s event at Camp S.K. Pendatun that conducting the police entrance exams in selected towns would enable children of active members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to participate in the testing process.

“This is good for the peace process. I used to write leaders of MNLF and MILF to ask them to allow their qualified followers take the police entrance exams,” Delos Reyes said.

Mangudadatu said he is optimistic that members of the provincial board would support the resolution that would be drafted by board member Bobby Katambak, head of the provincial council’s committee on finance, peace and order and public safety.

“The inter-agency provincial peace and order council which I chair can also pass a separate resolution for that goal,” Mangudadatu said.

Mangudadatu said he wants the PNP-ARMM to organize a police job fair for the more than 4,000 scholars during the “Sagayan Festival” in February next year.