DILG Secretary Roxas admits hiring of

10,000 cops every year difficult to meet

Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas today said that while Congress has
authorized the Philippine National Police PNP! to hire "#$### policemen every year$ the agency is
%inding it hard to meet the &uota 'ecause o% the re&uirements %or applicants(
Roxas made the admission during the hearing o% the )ouse Committee on *ppropriations chaired
'y Rep( Isidro +nga' ,
rd
-istrict$ -avao City! on the -ILG.s proposed P"#/(01 'illion %or 2#"0(
Roxas said the National Police Commission Napolcom! is having di%%iculty especially in hiring
Police 3%%icer " P3"! o%%icers(
43ne very discouraging reason is the re&uirements( *n applicant must 'e a college graduate$ must
pass the neuro5psychiatric examination$ agility exam and medical exam$ and the actual interview$6 said
Roxas in response to a &uery raised 'y Rep( Luzviminda Ilagan Party5list$ Ga'riela! a'out un%illed
positions in the -ILG or its agencies(
3n the entrance examination alone$ only "0 to 2# pass it success%ully every time the Napolcom
administers it(
In light o% this pro'lem$ Napolcom 7ice Chairman 8d 8scueta cited the need to review the present
&uali%ications %or police applicants(
49e have the positions 'ut there are simply not enough &uali%ied %or the positions$6 said 8scueta(
-irector5General *lan Purisima said the PNP has "0,$"01 total personnel$ and it is de%icient o%
,$:/;( <or 2#"/$ he said the PNP is authorized to hire ",$###(
Purisima cited another recruitment pro'lem$ which is start o% the hiring period in =uly( )e said this
leaves the PNP only six months to entertain applications(
Purisima proposed that the recruitment phase starts in =anuary and to ma>e it a continuing process
to lure more applicants(
49e are currently studying the re&uirement process( 9e also intend to conduct a Campus
7isitation and In%ormation -rive to attract more college graduates to enter the PNP$6 said Purisima(
*t a separate interpellation 'y Rep( Rodol%o ?iazon$ Roxas said the deployment o% cops %ollows
the pattern o% criminality( Roxas was reacting to ?iazon.s statement that the distri'ution o% PNP personnel
is usually done in the %ollowing manner@ 0: percent in the rural areasA and /2 percent in the ur'an areas(
4Bhe "@0## ideal is the rule o% thum'( Bhe deployment %ollows the pattern o% criminality$6 said
Roxas( *s>ed 'y ?iazon i% the PNP is undermanned$ Roxas replied 47ery much so( 9e.ll need
additionally :#$### personnel( Bhis means 2##$### cops that we want to 'e on the streets not doing
clerical$ personnel and administrative wor>(6
?iazon said he 'elieves that police visi'ility or presence is community5driven( ,#! rbb
NR # 3571C
AUG 27, 2014