DILG chief wants to rid PNP of EJK culture

MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla wants to remove the culture of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) in the Philippine National Police and the PNP Academy that became rampant in the previous administration.

Remulla said there is a need for a change of mindset within the civilian police organization, which “normalized” vigilante-style killings and taking the law into one’s own hands.

“The problem there is that in the previous administration, there has been a cultural shift in the PNPA, on the extrajudicial means of dispensing justice becoming normalized for all of them and became acceptable. So that culture continued,” he told dzRH yesterday.

“They need a change of mindset. There is a need for prosecution and to determine who participated in EJKs and weed out those who participated in it,” he added.

The newly installed Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) chief said that he also wants to depoliticize the PNP and promote a merit system.

“Sometimes, even if they have a case they get promoted. So we want to set a merit and demerit system so that the most qualified will get the promotion and that goes also with the structural reforms that we want to do,” he added.

The DILG chief said that he wants structural reforms within the PNP and also streamline the processes within the “top-heavy” organization.