House Speaker Martin Romualdez has echoed the need to modernize the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA), which is the school that produces the country’s future police officers.

“In an increasingly globalized, highly advanced society, there is a need to modernize the PNPA and educate our police corps with new methods, so they may have the competency and expertise to deal with criminals employing new schemes and technology in the commission of a crime,” Romualdez said.
The Leyte 1st district congressman made these remarks during the flag-raising ceremony Monday, Nov. 21 at the PNPA Grandstand in Camp General Mariano Castañeda, Silang, Cavite.
The PNPA is the police’s version of the military’s Philippine Military Academy (PMA).
“Sa inyo umaasa ang mga kababayan natin. Dahil sa inyo, nakakatulog sila ng mahimbing kasama ang kanilang mga pamilya (Our countrymen rely on you. Because of you, they are able to sleep soundly at night with their families)," Romualdez, the top legislative ally of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., told the cadets present.
The Speaker said he believes that the police academy “must be given the autonomy to build infrastructure, acquire necessary equipment, and reorganize administrative structures".
“The PNPA must also be authorized to determine exclusively its plans, policies, programs, curricula, and standards of teaching and training,” he added.
“Finally, to boost the PNPA cadets’ morale, they should be awarded with benefits in case of disability, sickness, or even death, during training,” said Romualdez, who is the president of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) party.
Romualdez added that he is supporting all measures filed in the House of Representatives to upgrade and modernize the police school.
He pointed out that most of these measures aim to strengthen the PNPA and “grant the academy the right to determine its own policies, plans and programs, academic and otherwise, without any control, pressure, or influence".
“These measures are almost unanimous in their desire to establish a PNPA corps of professors and instructors, and to create a system of faculty, placement, promotion and development,” he said.