By Pearl Gumapos
The National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) approved on Wednesday (May 19) the recruitment of 17,314 new cops.
This is to replenish personnel losses, enhance police visibility, increase personnel strength, and improve the police-to-population ratio and peace and order condition in the operational areas covered by the respective police regional offices (PROs) and national support units (NSUs).
Headed by Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary and NAPOLCOM Chairman Eduardo M. Año, the NAPOLCOM en banc issued Resolution No. 2021-0475 which approved the calendar year (CY) 2021 Regular and Attrition Recruitment Program of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
The 1,000 regular recruitment quota will be allotted to the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) during the first recruitment cycle in order to improve the police-to-population ratio in the region, address personnel losses due to localization programs, and satisfy the personnel requirement of the office, said NAPOLCOM Vice Chairman and Executive Officer Vitaliano N. Aguirre II.
“The 16,314 attrition recruitment quota, on the other hand, is intended to replace uniformed personnel losses due to separation from the service [by] retirement, designation, death, dismissal from the service, [or] absence without leave,” Aguirre said.
According to NAPOLCOM, the attrition recruitment quota for the PROs for the first and second cycles shall be distributed as follows: PRO1-350, PRO2-400, PRO3-750, PRO4A-750, PRO4B-450, PRO5-850, PRO6-100, PRO7-650, PRO8-1,200, PRO9-100, PRO10-150, PRO11-100, PRO12-100, PRO13-100, PRO COR-100, PRO BAR-1,700, and NCRPO-5,000.
For the NSUs, the following is the allotment of the attrition recruitment quota for the first and second cycles: Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG)-200, Communications and Electronics Service (CES)-350, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)-200, Crime Laboratory (CL)-500, Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Canine Group (EOD/K9) -100, Health Service (HS)-500, Headquarters Support Service (HSS)-150, Intelligence Group (IG)-100, Legal Service (LS)-100, Maritime Group (MG)-1,000, National Police Training Institute (NPTI)-250, PNP Drug Enforcement Group (PNP DEG)-514, PNP Retirement and Benefits Administration Service (PRBS)-100, Police Security and Protection Group (PSPG)-150, Special Action Force (SAF)-100, and PNP Training Service (PNPTS)-150.
Aguirre said PNP unit chiefs and members of the screening and selection committee, including the head and members of the secretariat, are required to strictly follow the rules and regulations on the recruitment, selection, and appointment of patrol officers, as well as the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) omnibus guidelines on the implementation of community quarantine in the Philippines.
Otherwise, they would be subjected to administrative sanctions, he said. -jlo