BEHIND THE SCENES

PNP promotions controversy
ALFRED P. DIZON

Officials and personnel in the Philippine National Police know that they are one of the most politicized agencies in government and for one to be promoted, one has to have the right connections.

Over the years since I have been a reporter, there have been a lot of times I met disgruntled police officers who complained of not getting promoted since they didn’t have the “proper” backers.

Now, it seems, the slumbering giant that is the PNP is waking up to this mess. Many groups have thrown their support to the clamor of Senior Supt. Joel Alvalrez to address the apparent lack of a transparent, accountable, measurable, objective, and consistent system in the Senior Officers’ Promotion and Placement Board (SOPPB), which handles the appointment of police officers in the PNP.

An e-mail to the Northern Philippine Times said Alvarez had turned down his designation as police provincial director for Camarines Sur while maintaining that his concern was not yet answered. He raised the issue that appointments in the PNP were apparently not based on the principles of merit and seniority but on the choice of politicians and ranking officials of the PNP.
***
The mail said concerned alumni of the Philippine National Police Academy have made an appeal through a whole page advertisement to President Arroyo, the members of Congress, Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno, who is also the chairman of the National Police Commission, and the PNP leadership asking authorities to resolve issued like the equity of promotion and assignment in the PNP, among the graduates of Philippine Military Academy, PNPA lateral entrants and the rank and file.

“There should be consultant from the PNPA alumni and other stakeholders on important police matters as major stakeholders,” stated the statement. “Since PNP policies are decided at the directorial staff level or the SOPPB, other stakeholders are seldom consulted even in decisions affecting them.”
***
The statement also pointed out that among the more than 10,000 police commissioned officers in the PNP, only a little more than 500 are graduates of PMA, yet they occupy most of the key positions.

“Promotions and assignment standards are tailored to fit PMA graduates and are frequently changed to suit them to the disadvantage of other stakeholders,” the statement added.

The group also called for the representation of PNPA graduates, lateral entrants and the rank and file in the SOP-PB, which was also part of the request of Alvarez’s letter to PNP Chief Director General Avelino Razon Jr. dated Jan. 16.

Meanwhile, Alvarez has submitted to the grievance committee his reply to the inquiry of the PNP leadership on why he should not be given disciplinary actions for airing to the media his complaints and grievances on the inconsistencies of the SOPPB.

“While I did not, at any point, receive a prompt and substantive reply to my letter, the Directorate for Personnel and Records Management nevertheless expeditiously sent me a memo on March 10, in a relation to the March 9, 2008 story,” Alvarez said in his letter.

“That the DPRM and the SOPPB discriminate between issues that are of interest to them is evidenced by its expeditious action on the March 9, 2008 story that was published and by its disregard of my grievances and my request for a substantive reply.”
***
In his letter, Alvarez said on Jan. 16 that he wrote a nine-page letter to the PNP chief expressing grievances on the “lack of transparent, accountable, measurable, objective, and consistent SOPP system based on the principles of meritocracy and seniority.”

“The letter outlined clearly not only my complaints but also my commendable accomplishments that supported all the arguments I stated therein,” he added.

“Before I end this letter, I would like to appeal to the PNP leadership not only as a PNP officer, a Peemayer (PMA’er), a Free and Accepted Mason, but also as a citizen and a taxpayer, to institute genuine reforms,” said Alvarez. “We owe the people genuine police service and you can do it by putting the right people in the right job.”

He also asked the PNP leadership to stop making the “reality in the service” or the status quo as an excuse to continue to do the wrong things that have become part of our culture. “The time for meaningful change is now.”
***
He also explained that his letter to Razon had an appeal for the “institutionalization of a promotions and a placement system that does not discriminate among policemen/women who have not built alliances with the influential, a system that rewards every qualified and deserving policeman/woman, a system that will truly professionalize the PNP, and a system rooted in meritocracy – one which disavows politization and politicking, but restores the faith of the public.”

On Jan. 28, Alvarez reportedly received a one-page letter response from the DPRM informing him that the SOPPB is governed by the rules stipulated under CAPOLCOM Memorandum Circular No. 2007-2008.

“I reviewed said circular to find answers to my queries but found out there is no provision that specifies how the SOPPB should operate during actual deliberations… Corolary to this is the admission by the DPRM in its letter of the need to further improve the SOPPB selection sytem,” he was quoted as saying. “Admissions of a gap by the very party who has jurisdiction over this matter gave me hope that a concrete set of corrective actions would be made to address the concerns regarding the flawed promotions system.”
***
Instead, and very surprisingly, on Feb. 1, Alvarez said he received an order designating him as the provincial director of Camarines Sur. After 10 days, Alvarez decided to write to Razon, declining the position because “of the unexplained haste in the arbitrary proceedings that again lacked transparency. The timing and the integrity of the orders are questionable.”

“Evidently, my designation as provincial director of Camarines Sur was an attempt to quell my indignation against the perpetuated system governing promotions,” Alvarez added. “Moreover, I did not, at any point, conceive or use my complaint to instantaneously and extra-judicially secure me a position, which is tantamount to harassment.”

Police officials and personnel know what is happening. More officials, the likes of Alvarez, in the country’s law-enforcing agency maybe needed to put an end to unfair promotions in the PNP.