MANILA, Philippines — While he wants to whittle down the number of police generals from 153 to 25, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla gave assurance that no one will be fired.
Remulla gave the assurance after the Commission on Appointments (CA) confirmed his ad interim appointment to the DILG, the department that oversees the Philippine National Police (PNP).
“We are not firing anyone. We are not removing anyone. We are waiting for their retirement. And we will formulate a policy whether or not we will replace the generals that are retiring,” Remulla noted.
“For most, what needs to be done is to study whether the star rank of that position is really deserving or necessary or it can be colonel or other positions. It is an ongoing process so it’s not immediate but we are waiting for their retirement,” the DILG chief added.
Earlier, Remulla said he wanted to trim down the number of PNP generals from 153 to just 25 as part of his efforts to reform the PNP, which he described as currently “very top-heavy” and is in need of streamlining to “flatten” the organization.
He cited as an example the case of the PNP-National Capital Regional Police Office, which is currently headed by a police general while his deputy is also a police general.
“Why do you have two generals with the same rank occupying a position higher than the other? The area police command, nine of them now with three personnel behind them,” Remulla pointed out.
The DILG chief said the process of promotion in the PNP would be reviewed and would be compared with the Armed Forces of the Philippines. He added that PNP promotions are made every three years, shorter than those in the AFP, which is every five years.
“It then becomes very bloated. It has become a right rather than a privilege to become general. I propose that it should be based on merit and need and function,” Remulla said.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros said although the PNP supports the initiative to streamline the police force, they are reconsidering the reduction in the number of police generals as Remulla first claimed that he wants to streamline the number of generals from 133 to only 25 generals.
Consider welfare of officers
For his part, Sen. Ronald dela Rosa advised Remulla to take into consideration police morale and welfare in the effort to have a lean and mean police force.
Dela Rosa, a former PNP chief, agreed that the organization is “somehow bloated somewhere” and there is a need to streamline the PNP, noting a large number of generals.
“Take this as a recommendation or an unsolicited advice to the SILG. While we are going to (streamline), I hope the changes in the organization, especially in streamlining the number of generals, will not be so drastic. Please take into consideration their morale and welfare,” Dela Rosa said.