Scribd
Upload
73 views

One Police Force, Which Shall Be National in Scope and Civilian in Character, To Be Administered and Controlled by A National Police Commission."

1. Section 6, Article XVI of the 1987 Constitution establishes one national police force that is civilian in character and administered by a national police commission. The Philippine National Police was established through RA 6975 to fulfill this mandate. As a national force, the PNP operates in every local government but remains under the control of the National Police Commission. 2. The author believes PNP operations are most effective when under the authority of local governors and mayors as they are representatives of the National Police Commission in their jurisdiction and more aware of local needs and affairs. 3. The author disagrees that PNP general qualifications for appointment are substandard, arguing the standards already test various fitness requirements. While some PNP

Uploaded by

Pcl Nueva Vizcaya
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
73 views

One Police Force, Which Shall Be National in Scope and Civilian in Character, To Be Administered and Controlled by A National Police Commission."

1. Section 6, Article XVI of the 1987 Constitution establishes one national police force that is civilian in character and administered by a national police commission. The Philippine National Police was established through RA 6975 to fulfill this mandate. As a national force, the PNP operates in every local government but remains under the control of the National Police Commission. 2. The author believes PNP operations are most effective when under the authority of local governors and mayors as they are representatives of the National Police Commission in their jurisdiction and more aware of local needs and affairs. 3. The author disagrees that PNP general qualifications for appointment are substandard, arguing the standards already test various fitness requirements. While some PNP

Uploaded by

Pcl Nueva Vizcaya
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

A.

1.

Section 6, Article XVI of the 1987 Constitution provides “The State shall establish and maintain
one police force, which shall be national in scope and civilian in character, to be administered
and controlled by a national police commission.”

The phrase “one police force” means a system of coordination and cooperation among the
citizenry, local executives and the integrated law enforcement and public safety agencies
established by the State to promote peace and order and ensure public safety. Such is a system
of unity among the citizens of the State and various law enforcement agencies, uniform in
character and harmonious in action, for the maintenance of peace and deterrence of
lawlessness throughout the nation.

The phrase “national in scope” means the establishment of a police force to be administered
and controlled by a national police commmission. This is manifested by the establishment of the
Philippine National Police under Republic Act. No 6975 which is under the administrative
control and operational supervision of the National Police Commission. Such police force,being
national in scope, shall be operative in every local government unit but shall remain under the
control and supervision of the National Police Commission.

The prase “civilian in character” means that no element of the police force shall be military nor
shall any position thereof be occupied by active members of the Armed Forces of the
Philippines. It shall be composed of members of the citizenry and such requirement remains
paramount. Such distinction emphasizes that the military is the protector of the State while the
police force is the protector of its citizens.

2.

Yes. I believe that the PNP service is effective when under the authority of the governor or
mayor. As governors and mayors are automatically representatives of the National Police
Commission in their respective jurisdiction, they are hereby given authority by law to inspect
police forces and units, conduct audit and exercise other functions as may be duly authorized by
the Commission. As local chief executives, they are more in tune to the needs of their
constituents within their jurisdiction and have more awareness to local affairs. Such localized
awareness of the local chief executives make them an efficient authority in the exercise of the
functions and duties of the PNP.

B.

No. The General Qualifications for Appointment under Section 30 of RA 6975, as amended by
Section 14 of RA 8551 is not in any way sub-standard despite the “poor” performance of some
PNP personnel. The purpose of said qualifications is to merely require a minimum set of
standards for all those qualified to be appointed under the PNP. Said standards are already
stringent by themselves as physical and mental fitness are not only tested, but also emotional
and psychological fitness. Such tests are presumed to be done in regularity and passing said
tests is a feat in itself. While some PNP personnel do deliver “poor performance” in their duties,
this has no relevance to the general qualifcations of appointment under the law. At most, it is a
reflection of the lack of continuing training and education by the personnels themselves. After
qualifying said standards, an appointment under the PNP should be a continuing pursuit of
progress and improvement. The qualifications provided by law are not substandard. There is
“poor performance” because of the lack of initiative of maintaining those standards after
appointment by the personnels themselves.

You might also like