Philippine National Police

Philippine National Police

Pambansang Pulisya ng Pilipinas
AbbreviationPNP
Philippine National Police seal.svg
Insignia of the Philippine National Police
Motto "To Serve and to Protect"
Agency overview
Formed
January 1, 1902 (as Philippine Constabulary and Integrated National
Police), January 29, 1991 (merged into PNP)
Preceding agencies
Philippine Constabulary
Integrated National Police
Legal personality

Governmental: Government agency

Jurisdictional structure
National agency

Philippines

General nature
Law enforcement
Local civilian police
Operational structure
Headquarters

Camp Crame, Quezon City

Agency executive Dir. Gen. Ronald dela Rosa,

Police Director General - Chief PNP
Parent agency
Department of Interior and Local Government via National
Police Commission
Website
www.pnp.gov.ph
The Philippine National Police (Filipino: Pambansang Pulisya ng Pilipinas and
abbreviated as PNP) is the armed, civilian national police force of the Philippines.

Its national headquarters is at Camp Crame in Quezon City, Metro Manila, and it
has 160,000 personnel.

It is administered and controlled by the National Police Commission and is part of

the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). Local Police officers
are operationally controlled by municipal mayors (except during the 30 days
immediately preceding and following any national, local and barangay elections.
During these periods, the local police forces are under the supervision and control
of the Commission on Elections). DILG, on the other hand, organizes, trains and
equips the PNP for the performance of police functions as a police force that is
national in scope and civilian in character.

The PNP was formed on January 29, 1991 when the Philippine Constabulary and
the Integrated National Police were merged pursuant to Republic Act 6975 of
1990.[1]

History

Edit

The common history of the police forces of the Philippines can be traced back to
the reigns of the pre-Hispanic lakans, datus and sultans in the islands, where
soldiers who served in the communities where the people lived (and which
reported directly to local leaders) also enforced local laws. All changed with the
arrival of the Spanish rule and the introduction of Western law to the archipelago.
Until 1868, personnel of the Spanish army and local militias were also tasked with
policing duties in local communities, together with the Island Carabiniers (raised
1768 and the colony's first ever police service). In that year, the local branch of
the Civil Guard was officially established by order of then Governor-General
Carlos Mara de la Torre y Nava Cerrada. Starting from a single division, during
the Revolutionary period it grew into a corps of military police with detachments
in Luzon and the Visayas, and was notorious for its abuses against Filipinos.
(These abuses were mentioned in Jos Rizal's two novels, Noli Me Tngere and El
filibusterismo, both writing about several cases of Civil Guardsmen abusing the
local populace.)

With the beginning of American rule and the PhilippineAmerican War, the
Philippine Constabulary (PC) was raised in 1901 as a national gendarmerie force
for law enforcement, directly reporting to the American government. At the same
time, what is now the Manila Police District came into existence as the

Philippines' first city police force. Later police forces began to model the US
departments.

The PC was later integrated into the ranks of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
in the late 1930s - first as a command of the Army, and later on its own after the
State Police folded. (The PC's personnel would later be fighting on both sides in
the Second World War.)

Passed on December 13, 1990, Republic Act No. 6975, the Department of the
Interior and Local Government Act of 1990, ordered the merger of both the
Philippine Constabulary and the Integrated National Police and formally created
the Philippine National Police. R.A. 6975 was further amended by R.A. 8551, the
Philippine National Police Reform and Reorganization Act of 1998, and by R.A.
9708. The R.A. 8551 envisioned the PNP to be a community- and service-oriented
agency.

List of Chiefs of the Philippine National Police

Edit

The "Director General" is head of the Philippine National Police and the position is
invariably held by a four-star general.

No.

Name Term

Cesar P. Nazareno March 31, 1991 August 28, 1992

Raul S. Imperial

Umberto A. Rodriguez

Recaredo A. Sarmiento II July 8, 1994 December 15, 1997

Santiago L. Alino

Roberto T. Lastimoso

July 19981999

Edmundo L. Larroza

1999 November 16, 1999

Panfilo M. Lacson

Leandro Mendoza March 16, 2001** - July 2002

10

Hemogenes E. Ebdane Jr. July 2002 August 23, 2004

11

Edgar B. Aglipay

August 23, 2004 March 14, 2005

12

Arturo Lomibao

March 14, 2005 August 29, 2006

August 28, 1992 May 6, 1993

May 6, 1993 July 8, 1994

December 15, 1997 July 1998

November 16, 1999 January 2001

13

Oscar C. Calderon August 29, 2006 October 1, 2007

14

Avelino I. Razon Jr. October 1, 2007 September 27, 2008

15

Jesus A. Verzosa

16

Raul BacalzoSeptember 14, 2010 September 9, 2011

17

Nicanor Bartolome September 9, 2011 December 17, 2012

18

Alan Purisima

19

Leonardo Espina (OIC)

February 5, 2015 July 16, 2015

20

Ricardo C. Marquez

June 16, 2015 June 30, 2016

21

Ronald Dela Rosa July 1, 2016 present

September 27, 2008 September 14, 2010

December 17, 2012 February 5, 2015

OrganizationEdit

Philippine National Police boat on the Iloilo River, Iloilo City

A fleet of Toyota Innova used as police cars

A Toyota Corolla Altis Patrol car in Butuan

Regions of the Philippines

Within the PNP operational units there are:[2]

Aviation Security Group (AVEGROUP)

This group provides security to all airports throughout the country.

Special Action Force (SAF)

This group is a mobile strike force or a reaction unit to augment regional ,
provincial, municipal and city police force for civil disturbance control, internal

security operations, hostage-taking rescue operations, search and rescue in times

of natural calamities, disasters and national emergencies and other special police
operations such as ant-hijacking, anti-terrorism, explosives and ordnance
disposal. On a special note, the PNP Air Unit is placed under the supervision of
SAF.

Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)

This group monitors, investigates, prosecutes all crimes involving economic
sabotage, and other crimes of such magnitude and extent as to indicate their
commission by highly placed or professional criminal syndicates and
organizations. It also conducts organized- crime control, all major cases
involving violations of the revised penal Code, violators of SPECIAL LAWS
assigned to them such as Anti-hijacking, Anti-Carnapping and Cyber crimes
among others and atrocities committed by Communist Party of the Philippines
(CPP)/New Peoples Army (NPA)/National Democratic Front (NDF).

Maritime Group (MG)

This group is responsible to perform all police functions over Philippine Territorial
waters, lakes, and rivers along coastal areas to include ports and harbors and
small islands for the security and the sustainability development of the maritime
environment.

Intelligence Group (IG)

This group serves as the intelligence and counter-intelligence operating unit of
the PNP.

Crime Laboratory (CL) / Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO)

This group provides scientific and technical, investigative aide and support to the
PNP and other investigative agencies. It also provides crime laboratory
examination, evaluation and identification of physical evidence gathered at the
crime scene with primary emphasis on medical, biological and physical nature.

Police Security and Protection Group (PSPG)

This group provides security to government vital installations, government
officials, visiting dignitaries and private individuals authorized to be given
protection.

PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG)

This Group is responsible for the implementation of pertinent laws on
cybercrimes and anti-cybercrime campaigns of the PNP.

Police-Community Relations Group (PCRG)

This group undertakes and orchestrates Police Community Relations program and
activities in partnership with concerned government agencies, the community,
and volunteer organizations in order to prevent crime and attain a safe and
peaceful environment.

Highway Patrol Group (HPG)

This group enforces the traffic laws and regulations, promote safety along the
highways, enhances traffic safety consciousness through inter- agency
cooperation concerning Police Traffic Safety Engineering, Traffic Safety Education
and Traffic Law enforcement functions and develops reforms in the crime
prevention aspect against all forms of lawlessness committed along National
Highway involving the use of motor vehicles.

Civil Security Group (CSG)

This group regulates business operations and activities of all organized private
detectives, watchmen, security guards/agencies and company guard forces. It
also supervises the licensing and registration of firearms and explosives.

PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group (PNP-AKG)

This Group serves as the primary unit of the PNP in addressing kidnapping
menace in the country and in handling hostage situations.

Internal Affairs Service

Edit

The PNP created a national Internal Affairs Service (IAS) on June 1, 1999. It is an
organization within the structure of the PNP and one of its tasks is to help the
Chief institute reforms to improve the image of the police force through
assessment, analysis and evaluation of the character and behavior of the PNP
personnel. It is headed by the Inspector General.

Philippine National Police Academy

Edit

Main article: Philippine National Police Academy

The Philippine National Police Academy is located at Camp Gen. Mariano N.
Castaneda, Silang, Cavite and is the premier training academy for the Philippine
National Police, Bureau of Jail Management & Penology and Bureau of Fire
Protection.

National Operations Center (NOC)

Edit

The National Operations Center (NOC) is at Camp Crame. Chief Superintendent

Constante Azares Jr., chief of the PNP-NOC, explained that "the NOC is the hub
and nerve of this facility."[3]

Police Regional / Provincial / Component City and Municipal Offices

Edit

Regional Police Offices manage and administer Police Stations within the various
regions of the Philippines, each of which include several province and
independent cities. Each unit exercises independent control over all police units
within their areas of operation and attached units of the PNP National
Headquarters ordered to assist these Regional Offices. The National Capital
Region Police Office is one such regional office.

Regional Offices

Edit

Mahindra Scorpio Police car

Region I

Region II

Region III

Region IV

Region V

Region VI

Region VII (Cebu)

Region VIII

Region IX

Region X (Cagayan de Oro)

Region XI (Davao)

Region XII (General Santos)

Region XIII (Butuan)

Provincial Offices

Edit

PNP Provincial Offices Website

City and Municipal Offices

Edit

PNP City and Municipal Offices Website

Officers

Edit

Recruitment and training Edit

Two members of the PNP rappel down a tower during a joint U.S.-AFP-PNP Subject
Matter Expert Exchange (SMEE).
The PNP conducts regular recruitment programs, depending on the annual
budget. The entry level for non-commissioned officers is the rank of Police Officer
1 or PO1. The new recruits will undergo Public Safety Basic Recruit Course for six
months, and a Field Training Program for another six months. Prior for their actual
duty, they are required to undergo the mandatory special training of PNP SCOUT
or PNP Special Counter-insurgency Unit Training course for 45 days to 5 months
to enhance them in militaristic/tactics for future assignment in the field whether
in the Striking Force or in the Police Station.

Commissioned officers for the Philippine National Police are from the Philippine
National Police Academy as well as through "lateral entry" for specialized
disciplines and requirements such as criminologists in line-officers, lawyers,
doctors, engineers,chaplain and other technical positions and also the rose-fromthe-rank personnel who have reached the qualifications to be a commissioned
officer.

Controversies

Edit

Manila blackmail incident Edit

Further information: 1998 Manila blackmail incident
A blackmail case occurred in Binondo, Manila when police officers abducted and
blackmailed seven Chinese citizens suspected of drug trafficking on December
30, 1998.[4] After many months of detainment and torture, two Hong Kong
residents were killed when the ransom money was not paid.[5] One police
superintendent who knew of the operation was also killed.[4]

Euro Generals scandal

Edit

Further information: Euro Generals scandal

The Euro Generals scandal involves Eliseo de la Paz and several Philippine
National Police officials who went to Russia on October 2008 to attend an Interpol
conference. De la Paz was detained for carrying a large sum of undeclared

money. A House panel investigating the scandal concluded that the six police
officials who attended the conference had made the trip illegally.[6] In 2010, the
Office of the Ombudsman filed graft charges against twelve former and active
ranking PNP officials for their alleged involvement in the incident.[7][8]

Paraaque shootout

Edit

On December 5, 2008, ten suspected criminals, one policeman, and five civilians,
a total of sixteen people, including a seven-year-old girl, were killed in a bloody
shootout in Paraaque. Several others were wounded, including a ranking officer
of the Highway Patrol Group, two members of the Special Action Force, a village
watchman, and a security guard, said Director Leopoldo Bataoil, head of the
Metro Manila regional police. The head of the Internal Affairs Service of the PNP
said, "We failed in our mission to protect the civilians. Because during the
conduct of operation many civilian lives were lost,"[9] On July 29, 2009, it was
reported that the Department of Justice (DOJ) had filed multiple murder charges
against 29 policemen, including three generals, in connection with the shootout
following the filing of a complaint-affidavit by Lilian de Vera, who lost her
husband and daughter, age seven, in the incident.[10] On January 11, 2010, the
Commission on Human Rights recommended the filing of criminal and
administrative charges against 26 policemen[11] In March, it was reported that
after two witnesses had said De Vera and his daughter were not killed in the
shootout, that policemen already had complete control of the area where the two
were killed, the Department of Justice filed two counts of murder charges against
25 policemen for the killings.[12]

Binayug torture case

Edit

Inspector Joselito Binayug, chief of the Asuncion police community precinct in

Tondo arrested Darius Evangelista on March 5, 2009 for alleged robbery. A torture
video was leaked to the media and shown on television showing a police officer
whipping and cursing the suspect and pulling on a rope that was tied to the
victims genitals. The incident allegedly happened inside the Asuncion police
precinct in Tondo. Binayug was arrested for violating the Anti-Torture act of 2009.
Separate charges were filed for Evangelista being tortured to death.[13][14]

Maguindanao massacre

Edit

Main article: Maguindanao massacre

On November 24, 2009, Senior Superintendent Abusana Maguid, the police chief
of Maguindanao province, was reported to have been relieved of his duties after
witnesses reported seeing three of his officers at the scene of the Maguindanao
massacre in which 57 people, including journalists, lawyers, aides, and motorists

who were witnesses were killed.[15] On November 25 Maguid and Chief Inspector
Sukarno Dikay were reported to have been relieved from post and placed under
restrictive custody.[16] On November 26, Department of the Interior and Local
Government (DILG) Secretary Ronaldo Puno announced that Maguid, Dikay, and
others were suspected of involvement in the massacre.[17] On December 19,
Maguid, Dikay, and others were reported to have been recommended for
summary dismissal by the PNP high command.[18] On April 16, 2010, the
National Police Commission ordered a 90-day suspension against Maguid, Dikay,
and 60 other police personnel for their possible involvement in the killings.[19]
On July 10, it was reported that Dikay had applied to become state witness,
saying that he is confident that his testimony will pin down the masterminds of
the killing.[20]

Failed hostage rescue operation Edit

Further information: Manila hostage crisis
The Philippine National Police conceded that in the 2010 Manila hostage crisis
they made blunders in ending a bus hijacking, as outrage grew over the bloody
assault played out on live television that left eight Hong Kong tourists dead. The
Hong Kong Economic Journal was reported to have accused the PNP of having
"appalling professional standards" and "...[a] lack of strategic planning".[21]

"Wheel of Torture" secret detention facility

Edit

The Philippine Commission on Human Rights filed charges against ten police
officers after it was discovered that they routinely tortured detainees inside a
secret detention facility in Bian, Laguna. The facility was maintained by the PNP
Provincial Intelligence Branch (PIB) to extract confessions or information from
detainees, or to extort money from them in exchange for being charged with
lighter offenses or the dropping of the charges altogether. It was also alleged that
some "were tortured for the police officers amusement" when they're
intoxicated. The facility is notorious for utilizing a roulette called the "Wheel of
Torture", a play on the Wheel of Fortune, where various torture methods were
printed. The wheel is rotated and wherever the pin stops, the indicated torture
method is perpetrated on the detainee.[22][23]

The torture methods included, a 20-second Manny Pacman punch, named after
the famous boxer Manny Pacquiao, where the detainee is beaten for 20 seconds;
"Paniki" which means being hung like a bat; "Tusok ulo ka" which means being
pierced through the head; "Zombies" which means being electrocuted; and other
degrading tasks like "duck walk" and "Ferris wheel".[23][24]

Mamasapano Clash

Edit

Main article: Mamasapano clash

On January 25, 2015, 44 members of the Special Action Force were killed after
they killed the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist Zulkifli Abdhir aka Marwan, allegedly by
Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.[citation
needed]

See also

Edit

Philippine Constabulary
Philippine National Police Academy
Tanod
Women in the Philippine National Police
Women in the Philippine military
Crime in the Philippines
References Edit

^ About the Philippine National police

^ About the Philippine National Police
^ ABS-CBNnews.com, PNP unveils state-of-the-art operations center
^ a b Newsinfo.inquirer.net. "Newsinfo.inquirer.net." Acting MPD chief facing raps
over abduction of HK residents. Retrieved on 2010-08-28.
^ HKdailynews.com.hk. "HKdailynews.com.hk." 3
. Retrieved on 2010-08-28.
^ Jess Diaz, Moscow trip illegal - PNP, The Philippine Star, November 21, 2008.
^ Kristine L. Alave, Alcuin Papa, Ombudsman says euro generals lied, Philippine
Daily Inquirer, August 13, 2010.
^ Michael Punongbayan, 'Euro generals' charged with graft, The Philippine Star,
August 13, 2010.
^ Paraaque shootout a failed operation police internal affairs head, GMA News,
December 10, 2008.

^ Multiple murder raps filed vs cops in Paranaque shootout,

datelinephilippines.com, July 29, 2009.
^ CHR wants cops in Paraaque shootout charged, ABS-CBN News, January 12,
2010.
^ DOJ files murder raps vs 25 cops in Paraaque shootout, ABS-CBN News, March
11, 2020.
^ Philstar.com, Tondo precinct cops face torture raps
^ Philstar.com, Torture victim identified
^ Philippine Local Police Chief Detained After Massacre, Bloomberg.com,
November 24, 2009.
^ Paolo Romero, State of emergency in Maguindanao, The Philippine Star,
November 25, 2009.
^ Maguindanao massacre suspect turns self in, ABS-CBN News, November 26,
2009.
^ 7 policemen face dismissal over 'neglect' in Maguindanao massacre, GMA
News, December 19, 2009.
^ 5 Ampatuans moved to Manila jail, Sun-Star, April 17, 2010.
^ Aie Balagtas, Andal Jr., 16 others plead not guilty, The Philippine Star, July 29,
2010.
^ Channel NewsAsia - Philippine police admit blunders in deadly hostage ordeal
^ "Police Torture Chamber Found in Laguna". Inquirer.net. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
^ a b "Philippine police accused of using "wheel of torture"". NYPost. Retrieved
2014-01-30.
^ "Filipino cops accused of "Wheel of Torture"". NewsBeat Social. Retrieved 201401-30.
External links

Edit

Official website
Globalpulisya.com
Philippinepeacekeepers.ph
PNP Communications and Electronics Service