The Philippine National Police (PNP) called on local government units to come up with uniforms for traffic enforcers that are different from the blue uniform worn by policemen.
“I wish the traffic enforcers would have uniforms that would distinguish them from policemen so the public would easily know which are the traffic enforcers from the law enforcers,” Deputy Director General Jesus Verzosa, PNP deputy chief for administration, said during a radio interview.
Verzosa’s call was made as part of the PNP’s integrated transformation program (ITP) aimed at professionalizing the police force. The STAR reported earlier that the PNP is set to launch “tamang bihis (proper attire)” program designed to improve the physical appearance of every policeman.
Verzosa is concurrently the executive director of the Program Management Office (PMO), the implementing arm of the PNP transformation program. The PNP wants to improve not only the skills of policemen but also their physical appearance, including the way they carry their uniform.
At present, a police officer wears a light blue shirt with light blue stripes and dark blue pants with light blue stripes on either side, with a nameplate on the left side of chest.
He recalled an incident when a local traffic enforcer was mistaken for a policeman because of the color and design of the uniform he was wearing.
“Those are the things we want to correct in the PNP as part of the ITP for us to be able to improve the image of the police while improving our service to the community,” Verzosa added.
He said the PNP has lined up programs for the improvement of its personnel, facility, logistics and system development.
“We started the ITP in 2005 by conducting training and seminars for personnel,” said Verzosa, who noted that the transformation program was initiated based on the study made by the United Nation Development Programs.
Verzosa has met with some foreign counterparts who have pledged donations and financial assistance for the implementation of the ITP. — Cecille Suerte Felipe