President Marcos has inducted and installed General Benjamin Acorda Jr. as the new chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), succeeding General Rodolfo Azurin Jr. He is the second PNP chief to be appointed under the present administration and will serve until he reaches retirement age in December 2023.
According to Republic Act 6975 that created the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), as well as the Philippine National Police, the PNP chief shall serve for a period not exceeding four years. The newly appointed chief is the 29th chief to be appointed since Jan. 29, 1991 – or 32 years ago – when RA 6975 was enacted. Most PNP chiefs have served for an average of just over a year, with many serving for less.
Given the relatively short tenure of the PNP chief, it is apparent that those appointed to the office would focus on its primary mandate to maintain peace and order by preventing or minimizing the commission of crimes against citizens and their properties.
The secretary of the interior and local government, who also serves as the ex-officio chairperson of the National Police Commission, is tasked by law to assure continuity or consistency of policies that would support effective police administration and operations – even as successive short-term PNP chiefs are appointed.
Recently, the public’s attention was focused on apparent differences between the DILG secretary and the now newly retired PNP chief over the conduct of an investigation into a ₱6.7 billion drug bust operation in October 2022. It is imperative that the heads of both organizations act in unison and close coordination with each other.
Republic Act 8551, the Philippine National Police Reform and Reorganization Act of 1998 and Republic Act 9708 that extends the period of its implementation, reflect the legislature’s serious intent to establish a professional and competent national police organization oriented toward community service and welfare.
In 2012, the PNP established a Center for Police Strategy Management to oversee the implementation of a Performance Governance System (PGS) Pathway that follows the Balanced Scorecard framework practiced in many leading corporations and not-for-profit organizations. The PNP’s PGS Pathway is embodied in the Peace and Order Agenda for Transformation and for Upholding the Rule-Of-Law, or PATROL Plan 2030, This plan enunciates the PNP’s vital role in ensuring peace and order which is critical in the attainment of the national government’s AmBisyon Natin 2040 vision of “Matatag, Maginhawa at Panatag na Buhay.”
Under its previous chiefs, the PNP has taken major steps toward institutionalizing good governance – a process that needs to be completed in a few remaining regions. As reported by the CPSM, there are now more than 10,000 community-based volunteers working with PNP police stations to monitor and ensure adherence to the tenets of the PGS Pathway.
The new PNP chief’s statement deserves public support: “As we give premium to the morale and welfare of the organization, assignment and positioning will be based on merit, ability and moral ascendancy.” This echoes the President’s call for the PNP to keep our streets safe and to defend our democratic institutions.