MANILA — The desire of President Rodrigo Duterte for better ethnic representation in the Philippine National Police (PNP) will greatly improve the institution.
This was stressed by PNP Director General Ronald dela Rosa, noting that recruiting from the entire archipelago would enrich the PNP’s capability to carry out its mission.
“Gusto ni Presidente is yung recruitment is democratized, na kung pwede lahat ng ethnic groups ay magkakaroon ng representation sa (PNP) Academy para naman it will become a true representation of the whole Philippine archipelago, ‘yung officer corps of the PNP (The President wants the recruitment to be democratized which means if possible, all ethnic groups will be represented in the PNP Academy so it will become a true representation of the Philippine archipelago, the officer corps of the PNP),” Dela Rosa told reporters Thursday.
“Gusto niya may (He wants) Ilokano, Tagalog, Bisaya, Ilonggo, Tausug, Maranao, Maguindanao, lahat ng tribu dapat merong (all of the tribes must have) representation. So we encourage that dahil (because) when it comes to effectiveness sa iyong pagiging pulis ay malaking bagay yung magse-serve ka sa sarili mong bayan (In your duty as police officer, it means a lot to serve in your hometown). You know the culture, language, geography so malaking bagay sa pagiging (it is a must in being an) effective officer of the PNP,” Dela Rosa added.
Meanwhile, Dela Rosa said the PNP is undertaking a reorientation of its men on security precautions, especially against attacks by the ‘Sparu’ units or hit squads of the New People’s Army which target uniformed personnel.
“We have seasoned retired police officers commissioned by the President to orient the young officers who have little exposure on counter-insurgency. They will be able to share their knowledge to the young police officers about the modus operandi of the Sparu operations. The group is roaming around to educate the officer on the matter,” Dela Rosa said in Filipino.
This year’s batch of graduates from the PNP Academy will be fielded mostly to the force’s elite Special Action Force. (PNA)
