The Philippine National Police (PNP) clarified yesterday that there is no new directive from the Office of the Chief, PNP, Police Director General Ronald M Dela Rosa prohibiting members of media from accessing police spot reports.
PNP Spokesperson Police Chief Superintendent Dionardo Carlos said in an interview that the PNP leadership has not issued a new memorandum on policies and guidelines related to criminal investigation and media relations.
Currently, the PNP is adhering to the existing memorandum issued on February 18, 2014 which conform to the policies for media relations during the conduct criminal investigations. Such memorandum clearly indicates there is no prohibition on the access of the public or media to the information from the police blotter.
The PNP observes a policy of rational transparency in all police activities, and of upholding the right of the people to be informed on matters of public interest, Carlos said.
As Chief Supt. Carlos explained, if there is an on-going follow-up operation and investigation on the incident, some information may not be accessible to the media as it may compromise the results of ongoing operation and investigation.
The PNP Spokesperson also emphasized the importance of Freedom of Information for the sake of transparency and accountability. For instance, the members of media may have to prepare requests in order to access police reports, he said. This is a safeguard to guarantee that official information are released only to responsible persons for a reasonable and lawful purpose. (PNP-PIO)
