Napolcom approves recruitment of 17,000 cops

MANILA, Philippines — The National Police Commission (Napolcom) has approved the recruitment of more than 17,000 police officers this year.

A total of 17,314 patrolmen and patrolwomen will be recruited by the Philippine National Police (PNP), according to the Napolcom.

Qualified recruits will receive a monthly salary of at least P29,000 and allowances.

The Napolcom headed by Interior Secretary Eduardo Año issued a resolution dated April 27, approving the PNP’s regular and attrition recruitment program for 2021.

According to Napolcom vice chairman Vitaliano Aguirre II, the 1,000 regular recruitment quota would be allotted to the National Capital Region Police Office to improve the police-to-population ratio in the region, address personnel losses due to the localization program and augment the personnel requirement of the NCRPO.

“The 16,314 attrition recruitment quota is intended to replace uniformed personnel losses due to separation from the service,” Aguirre said in a statement.

The police regional offices with the highest number of recruitment quota are NCRPO with 5,000; Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, 1,700; Eastern Visayas, 1,200, and Bicol, 850.

PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar has vowed to end the “padrino” system in the recruitment process, wherein qualified applicants are bypassed in favor of other aspirants with backers in the police force.