The PNP will have a National Police Clearance System in October. Here’s what you need to know.

MANILA, Philippines (Updated September 27, 10:38 a.m.) — The Philippine National Police plans to beef up its clearance system through a “centralized” system for criminal-records checking that will be implemented within the year.

To be known as the National Police Clearance System (NPCS) — the PNP will fully implement the plan in October this year, according to Police Lt.Col. Jay Guillermo, former chief of intelligence and investigation of the PNP’s Anti-Cybercrime Group.

The National Police Clearance System will not replace that of the National Bureau of Investigation, which issues its own clearance.

“Ang tingin po namin sa criminal, lumiliit na po yung mundo nila ngayon because of the digital age,” Guillermo said at a conference during the Seamless Philippines 2019 held at the SMX Convention Center in Manila on Thursday.

(We think the criminals' world is shrinking because of the digital age)

Many companies require newly-hired employees to submit either a police or an NBI clearance certificate. Some state agencies also ask for these papers when processing and releasing government documents.

Here are some things you need to know about the PNP’s clearance system:

It will have a nationwide coverage

Guillermo said the PNP, like the NBI, will now have a national database for its police clearance system, departing from the previous setup where each town and city has its own database.

The PNP will also integrate the police clearance database into the National ID system.

Guillermo explained that once the NPCS is implemented, a person applying for a police clearance would be immediately cleared if he/she has a namesake who committed a crime and has an active arrest warrant because the local databases are now stored and integrated in one cloud.

Under the NBI’s setup, the clearance would have to be verified further if the applicant has a namesake. The verification process usually takes eight to 10 working days.

Requirements

According to Guillermo, an applicant will be asked for his fingerprint and picture in order to secure a police clearance certificate.

Guillermo said the beauty of this setup is that a person whose fingerprint was found on a crime scene will be immediately considered a suspect.

But if a person was not aware that his fingerprint was used to commit a crime, he/she would need to be a witness on the case.

Payment method

Guillermo said the police clearance fee can only be paid through LandBank.

But he added that the PNP is now talking to other payment service providers.

Is the national police clearance going to be mandatory?

Guillermo said the PNP is now collaborating with the Labor Department to make police clearance a requirement for employment.

(Editor's note: An earlier version of this article reported that the National Police Clearance System would replace the NBI clearance system. In a phone call to Philstar.com on Friday, Lt.Col. Guillermo clarified that the PNP clearance will not replace that of the NBI.)