PNP-IAS agrees with lawmakers’ recommendation it should be independent

October 17, 2019

The head of the Philippine National Police- Internal Affairs Service (PNP-IAS) on Wednesday said they agree with the recommendation of lawmakers making them an independent fiscal body.

In an interview with reporters, Inspector General Alfegar Triambulo said based on their study, the internal affairs of the other country work independently making their decision against police officers strong and final.

Triambulo said having IAS and the National Police Commission duplicates the job.

“We discipline a lot of them (police) but at the same time the number of those who are committing wrongdoings increases. So our proposal, the Napolcom will be limited on the institution’s mandate that they are policy making body or administrator of PNP,” he said.

“And the IAS will be the one to conduct the distinction on the efficiency and effectiveness of the performance of the police,” he added.

Triambulo admitted having a hard time in implementing their decisions against cops under the previous PNP administration.

“The relationship I have with former chief PNP (Ronald) Bato Dela Rosa is better because whatever is my recommendation will be directed to his office and are being action… he signs my resolution in front of me,” he said.

“Right now there is a memorandum that my resolution should go to DPRM (Directorate for Personnel and Records Management),” he added.

Because of the additional step in implementing the resolution, Triambulo said it takes a lot of time before their papers reach the office of the PNP chief.

He said only 30 percent of their decision is being implemented and most  are being reversed. This is why they submitted a letter to Napolcom asking to have adjudicatory power“so that our decision will be final and executory,” said Triambulo.

Triambulo said they are still waiting for Napolcom’s response but the PNP has agreed with their request.

Aside from this, under their proposed law, witness of cops facing cases will be protected.

“Most of our cases are only complaints because they are being harassed. So they just hide,” he said.

It was Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) Partylist Rep. Jericho Nograles who said the issue on the so-called "ninja cops" only highlighted the need for Congress to speed up the approval of proposals seeking to separate IAS from PNP.

During Senate hearing, former generals revealed Police General Oscar Albayalde,  then provincial director of Pampanga where the 13 “ninja cops” were involved, called them trying to intervene in the implementation of the dismissal order against police officers involved.

In a separate interview, Police Lieutenant General Archie Francisco Gamboa said the proposal of IAS still requires a lot of study.

“I know their sentiments because they have been asking for that for quite some time. They have been asking for fiscal independence and they were asking for real adjudicatory powers meaning to say when they decide to dismiss (a police officer) the regional director of chief PNP does not need to do anything but to implement it,” he said.

“It requires a lot of study. Why?...  They ( IAS) are not yet that organized because they do not feel the independence so it does not encourage other people to be assigned there,” he added.

According to Triambulo, once they have the independence, they will be consisting of civilian officers and not from the PNP. Ella Dionisio/DMS