PNP assumes control of police training
Published Sep 30, 2019 11:32 am
By Aaron Recuenco
After several years of controversy and intense lobbying, the Philippine National Police (PNP) has finally assumed supervision and control of one of the major sources of its officers-- the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA).
PNP spokesman P/Col. Bernard Banac
(PNP / MANILA BULLETIN) The formal turnover was made in a ceremony attended by PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde and top officials of the Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC) on Monday at the PNPA Academy in Silang, Cavite. PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac said the assumption of control over PNPA is a big boost for the PNP to train and discipline government police scholars that would join the police organization after their four-year schooling. "The turnover of PNPA to the PNP will help build a physically and morally competent police force while beefing up its internal cleansing efforts," said Banac. "The PNP will now be accountable for the entire gamut of responsibility from recruitment, education, field training and deployment of police officers," he added. The PNP leadership has been pushing for control over the PNPA over what they describe as incomplete and unsuitable training programs for the PNPA cadets. This move would always be brought up every time graduates of the PNPA are involved in some controversial cases like the Atimonan massacre of suspected gambling lord and his men in Quezon, kidnapping-for-ransom and recycling of drugs. For years, the PNP leadership has intensely lobbied for control of the PNPA from PPSC before the Congress through PMA alumni in the House of Representatives and the Senate. What they want is similar arrangement with the PMA where the Academy is under the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). The PNPA was under the PPSC. Standoff During the time of PNP chief Alan Purisima, the PNP and PPSC leadership were embroiled in a standoff due to some misunderstanding on how reforms should be done for PNPA cadets. Purisima, it was recalled, has appointed then Brig. Gen. Noel Constantino as superintendent of the PNPA who immediately implemented drastic reforms to at least come up with a similar standard with cadets of the Philippine Military Academy. This, after Constantino found out that PNPA cadets were allowed before to go home every weekend, and training programs that does not allegedly institute discipline among the cadets, and found some alleges bad practices that exposed cadets to corruption, such as alleged mandatory selling of laptops and other gadgets to cadets using their monthly salary. The aggressive reforms did not sit well with PPSC officials, prompting Purisima to recall Constantino and other police instructors of the PNPA. The standoff was later resolved with the intervention of Malacanang. Crispy Pata vs Fried Chicken At the height of the controversy, journalists covering Camp Crame had discovered an attempt to bring back PMA graduates to the PNP. The last batch of PMA graduates who were allowed to enter the PNP was the PMA Class 1992, or since the PNP Law was created that emphasized the civilian aspect of the PNP as a law enforcement agency of the government. The attempt has revived the long rivalry between the PMA and PNPA graduates in the PNP, wherein PNPA alumni would complain that they have been continuously set aside in the promotion and assumption of juicy posts in favor of PMA graduates in the PNP. The PNPA is yet to produce a PNP chief from its thousands of alumni that entered the police organization. In 2013, a PNP official stirred then rivalry anew after he was quoted saying that PMA graduates are like crispy pata while PNPA graduate are mere fried chicken-- the logic behind was based on the kind of discipline and training programs that cadets of both institutions would undergo. Not only PNPA In May this year, President Duterte has signed into law the Republic Act 11279 which transfers the supervision of control of not only PNPA but also the training programs for all police recruits. Albayalde welcomed the signing of the law, saying they will now have direct power to institute reforms that focus on discipline among PNPA cadets. For his part Banac said: "We now cover everything that makes a complete police officer, from recruitment to retirement."
PNP spokesman P/Col. Bernard Banac(PNP / MANILA BULLETIN) The formal turnover was made in a ceremony attended by PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde and top officials of the Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC) on Monday at the PNPA Academy in Silang, Cavite. PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac said the assumption of control over PNPA is a big boost for the PNP to train and discipline government police scholars that would join the police organization after their four-year schooling. "The turnover of PNPA to the PNP will help build a physically and morally competent police force while beefing up its internal cleansing efforts," said Banac. "The PNP will now be accountable for the entire gamut of responsibility from recruitment, education, field training and deployment of police officers," he added. The PNP leadership has been pushing for control over the PNPA over what they describe as incomplete and unsuitable training programs for the PNPA cadets. This move would always be brought up every time graduates of the PNPA are involved in some controversial cases like the Atimonan massacre of suspected gambling lord and his men in Quezon, kidnapping-for-ransom and recycling of drugs. For years, the PNP leadership has intensely lobbied for control of the PNPA from PPSC before the Congress through PMA alumni in the House of Representatives and the Senate. What they want is similar arrangement with the PMA where the Academy is under the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). The PNPA was under the PPSC. Standoff During the time of PNP chief Alan Purisima, the PNP and PPSC leadership were embroiled in a standoff due to some misunderstanding on how reforms should be done for PNPA cadets. Purisima, it was recalled, has appointed then Brig. Gen. Noel Constantino as superintendent of the PNPA who immediately implemented drastic reforms to at least come up with a similar standard with cadets of the Philippine Military Academy. This, after Constantino found out that PNPA cadets were allowed before to go home every weekend, and training programs that does not allegedly institute discipline among the cadets, and found some alleges bad practices that exposed cadets to corruption, such as alleged mandatory selling of laptops and other gadgets to cadets using their monthly salary. The aggressive reforms did not sit well with PPSC officials, prompting Purisima to recall Constantino and other police instructors of the PNPA. The standoff was later resolved with the intervention of Malacanang. Crispy Pata vs Fried Chicken At the height of the controversy, journalists covering Camp Crame had discovered an attempt to bring back PMA graduates to the PNP. The last batch of PMA graduates who were allowed to enter the PNP was the PMA Class 1992, or since the PNP Law was created that emphasized the civilian aspect of the PNP as a law enforcement agency of the government. The attempt has revived the long rivalry between the PMA and PNPA graduates in the PNP, wherein PNPA alumni would complain that they have been continuously set aside in the promotion and assumption of juicy posts in favor of PMA graduates in the PNP. The PNPA is yet to produce a PNP chief from its thousands of alumni that entered the police organization. In 2013, a PNP official stirred then rivalry anew after he was quoted saying that PMA graduates are like crispy pata while PNPA graduate are mere fried chicken-- the logic behind was based on the kind of discipline and training programs that cadets of both institutions would undergo. Not only PNPA In May this year, President Duterte has signed into law the Republic Act 11279 which transfers the supervision of control of not only PNPA but also the training programs for all police recruits. Albayalde welcomed the signing of the law, saying they will now have direct power to institute reforms that focus on discipline among PNPA cadets. For his part Banac said: "We now cover everything that makes a complete police officer, from recruitment to retirement."