Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

Tepe eee
HOUSE BILL No, _ 7349

Introduced by Representative MARLYN L. PRIMICIAS-AGABAS,

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The proposed bill endeavors to strengthen the recruitment, selection, and
appointment processes of the Philippine National Police (PNP) by amending for the
purpose Sections 27, 30, 31, 33, and 35 of Republic Act No. 6975, otherwise known as
"Department of the Interior and Local Government Act of 1990," as amended by Republic
Act No. 8551, entitled "Philippine National Police Reform and Reorganization Act of
1998," and Republic Act No. 9708. It repeals or modifies, as the case may be, all provisions
of these laws as well as “all other laws, executive orders, rules and regulations, inconsistent
with provisions” of proposed measure.

Among the bill’s salient features is the establishment of a Recruitment and Selection
Service to serve as a national support unit of the PNP which shall be “responsible for the
determination of quota, recruitment and selection of all applicants for
Patrolman/Patrolwoman, PNPA Cadets and Lateral Entry for Line and Technical Officers”
with the end-view of improving “the quality of police services in the country.”

The proposed amendments are so designed to create more stringent recruitment,
selection, and appointment processes, but without sacrificing an acceptable degree of
flexibility, and map out a comprehensive, community-friendly, and holistic training
experience for the PNP’s newly-appointed commissioned and non-commissioned officers.
Given the additional training requirements for recruitment and appointment purposes, the
introduced amendments are strategically laid out to achieve a fined-tuned and standardized
recruitment, selection, and appointment system. In this regard, the proposed bill achieves
its declared objectives under Section 3 thereof.

Given the foregoing, the passage of the proposed bill is earnestly sought.

Ane

MAR’ PRIQIICIAS-AGABAS
64/District, Pangasinan


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bit No.2349

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE STRENGTHENING OF THE RECRUITMENT,
SELECTION, AND APPOINTMENT PROCESS OF UNIFORMED PERSONNEL OF
THE PHILLIPINE NATIONAL POLICE (PNP): AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE
SPECIFIC PROVISIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6975, AS AMENDED BY REPUBLIC
ACT NO. 8551 AND REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9708, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “PNP Recruitment and
Selection Act.”

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the State to establish a highly
efficient, effective and competent police force, which is national in scope, civilian in character,
and administered and controlled by the National Police Commission.

SECTION 3. Objective. - The PNP shall establish the Recruitment and Selection Service
as a National Support Unit responsible for the determination of quota, recruitment and selection
of all applicants for Patrolman/Patrolwoman, PNPA Cadets and Lateral Entry for Line and
Technical Officers in order to improve the quality of police services in the country with the
following objectives:

1. To enhance the capability of the PNP through institutionalization of standard
recruitment processing for Police Patrolman/Patrolwoman, PNPA Cadets and Lateral
Entry for Line and Technical Officers be establishing the PNP Recruitment and Selection
Service as a separate unit devoted only for the purpose;

2. To establish a one-stop shop recruitment process for Patrolman/Patrolwoman in
every region in order to prioritize and encourage graduates in the provinces and remote
areas to join the PNP service;

3. To establish qualification standards for line and technical officers for Lateral
Entry.
4. To entice both civilian and in-service to serve exclusively to the PNP technical

offices/units to support police operations and public services to the general public; and


5. To simplify and streamline the attestation process of PNP personnel
Section 4, Section 27 of RA No. 6975 is hereby amended to read as follows:

Section 27. Manning Levels. — On the average nationwide, the manning levels
of the PNP shall be approximately in accordance with a police-to-population ratio of one
(1) policeman for every five hundred (500) persons. The actual determination of police-
to-population ratio shall only include the actual strength of police deployed in Provincial
Police Offices, City Police Offices, and Municipal Police Stations. The actual strength by
cities and municipalities shall depend on the stage of peace and order, population density
and actual demands of the service in the particular area

Section 5. Section 30 of RA No. 6975, as amended by Section 14 of RA 8551 and Section
1 of RA 9708 is hereby further amended to read as follows:

Section 30. General Qualifications of Appointment. - No person shall be
appointed as officer or member of the PNP unless he possesses the following minimum
qualifications

XXX

[‘For the purpose of-determining-compliance-with-the requirements-on-physical and
mental health, as well as the-non-use-of prohibited drugs, the PNP by itself or through a
NAPOLCOM accredited—government hospital shall conduct regular psychiatric,
psychological drug and-physical tests randomly and without notice.”]

The physical, mental and medical screening process, as well as the testing for the non-use
of prohibited drugs shall be conducted by any government tertiary hospital accredited by the
Department of Health through the supervision of medical doctors from the PNP Health Service
Random physical, mental and drug testing without any notice shall also be done as to ascertain
compliance with the requirements.

xXx,
Section 6. Section 31 of RA No. 6975 is hereby amended to read as follows:

Section 31. Appointment of PNP Officers and Members. - The PNP Recruitment
and Selection Service shall be the sole office responsible for the recruitment process of
all applicants. The appointment shall be affected in the following manner:

a. The appointment cadet for Philippine National Police Academy shall be signed by the
Chief, PNP starting from salary grade of eighteen (18) for fourth class, salary grade
nineteen (19) for third class, salary grade twenty (20) for second class, salary grade
twenty-one (21) for first class and to salary grade twenty-two (22) for Police Lieutenant
after graduation;


b. The appointment of Police Non-Commissioned Officers shall be signed by
concerned Regional Directors or Directors of National Support Units;

c. The appointment of Police Commissioned Officers shall be signed by the Chief,

PNP; and

d The appointment of Third Level Officers and members shall be signed by the

President of the Philippines.

The attestation of appointment of all uniformed personnel, except for Third Level, shall be

attested by the Civil Service Commission.

SECTION 7. Section 33 of Republic Act No. 6975 is hereby amended to read as follows:

Lateral Entry for Technical Officers. - Section 33 of Republic Act No. 6975 is amended

to read as follows: “Section 33. Lateral Entry of Officers into the PNP. In general, ail original
appointments of commissioned officers in the PNP shall commence with the rank of Police
Lieutenant, to include all those with highly technical qualifications applying for the PNP technical

services, such as:

Aeronautical Engineers
Computer Engineers
Chemical Engineers
Chemists

Civil Engineers
Criminologists
Dentists

Electrical Engineers
Electronics Engineers
Guidance and Counseling
Mechanical Engineers
Medical Technologists
Metallurgical Engineers
Molecular Biologists

Naval Architects

Nuclear Physicists

‘Nurses

Nutritionists and Dieticians
Optometrists

Physical Therapists
Psychologists
Psychometricians

Sports Medicine

Social Workers

Veterinary Medicines
Graduates of Forensic Sciences
Information Technology Professionals
Other Technical Professions

Abovementioned professionals shall be accommodated to the PNP service to fill up
vacancies in any of the PNP offices/units for technical services, provided, they possess an

appropriate PRC license or CSP eligibility.

Doctors of Medicine, Members of the Bar, Priests/Pastors/Imams, and Licensed Aircraft

Pilots shall be appointed to the rank of Police Captain in their particular technical service.
Provided, that the Police Commissioned Officers who are recruited via the Lateral Entry Technical
Officers Program shall exclusively serve the office/unit where he/she was accepted and must
acquire or pursue training related to his/her field of expertise in pursuit of excellence.”

Lateral Entry for Line Officers. - Section 33 of RA No. 6975 shall further be amended to
read as follows:


Graduates of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) shall be automatically
appointed to the initial rank of Police Lieutenant.

“In the Lateral Entry for Line Officers Program, licensed criminologists, other
professionals who have licenses issued by the Professional Regulation Commission and those who
are Career Service Professionals may be appointed to the rank of Police Lieutenant to fill up
vacancies in the PNP Line Unit.

Provided, that Licensed Criminologists and other PRC licensed professionals, to include
Career Service Professionals who are applying for lateral entry line officer ship, are already
members of the PNP with a rank of at least Police Staff Sergeant for Uniformed Personnel or at
least Salary Grade 14 for NUP and have served the organization for at least 5 years.

Provided further, that these Police Lieutenants in the line services shall serve at least 5
years in the line offices/units they opted to join before they can seek reassignment to other line
offices/units.”

SECTION 8. Section 35 of RA No. 6975 is hereby amended to read as follows:
XXX

(7) The Recruitment and Selection Service shall be headed by a Police Brigadier
General who shall be responsible in the recruitment and selection of applicants for
Patrolman/Patrolwoman, PNPA Cadets and Lateral Entry for line and technical officers
nationwide. The functions shall include but not limited to the following such as’

a. Determining recruitment quota, distribution of recruitment quota, qualification
standards,
b. Conduct one-month recruitment through establishing a one-stop shop

facilities/venues for the recruitment processing composed of Doctors, Nurses, Dentists and
other Medical Professions detailed from the PNP Health Service and other Medical
Practitioners from government tertiary hospitals accredited by the Department of Health
under the supervision of medical doctors from the PNP Health Service;

c. Design electronic programs and gadgets for the online registration of application
of applicants, conduct of Assessment Test/Written Competitive Examinations,
Psychological/Psychiatric Evaluation and utilized electronic machines for
Physical/Medical and Dental Examinations for establishment of database of applicants;

d. Strengthen the coordination with Academe and other Government Agencies for
data sharing and improvement on the quality of es who will be the future Police Officers;
and

€. Spearhead amendment of laws, policies, and circulars on recruitment of Police
Officers and Members.


SECTION 9. Permanency and Termination of Appointment of Uniformed Lateral
Personnel. -All uniformed personnel appointed as Patrolman/Patrolwoman and Permanent Entry
Line and technical Officers shall be appointed in a temporary status. Permanent appointment shall
be issued after completion of required basic training and Field Training Program for twelve
months. Extension of temporary status is prohibited except for compelling reasons, provided the
same is beyond the control and not attributable to the appointee, provided further the extension is
only for twelve months

All uniformed personnel who failed to comply with the above provision shall be terminated
without prejudice for reappointment provided that they still meet the minimum qualification
standards as set by RA No. 6975 as amended by RA No. 8551 and RA No. 9708, respectively

All uniformed personnel in temporary status who committed infractions, violations, and
offenses shall, after due process, be terminated with prejudice to re-entry or reappointment. The
termination proceeding shall be conducted by Training Institution with strict observance of due
process wherein the recommendation for termination shall be approved by the appointing authority
within thirty (30) days from date of occurrence or compelling reasons or the commission of the
infractions, violations, and offenses.

SECTION 10 Funding, - The funding for the recruitment process shall be provided’ in the
annual General Appropriations Act (GAA) of the PNP. Inefficient Allowance per capita shall also
be included therein subject to the

ailing inflation rate per annum

SECTION 11 Repealing Clause. - All other provisions of Republic Act No. 6975, as
amended by Republic Act NO. 8551 and Republic Act No. 9708, and all other laws, executive
orders, rules and regulations, inconsistent with provisions of this Act shall be deemed modified or
repealed accordingly.

SECTION 12 Separability Clause. — If any provision of this Act or the application of such
provision is declared unconstitutional or invalid, the provisions not affected thereby shall remain
in full force and effect

SECTION 13 Effectivity. ~ This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its complete
publication in the Official Gazette in a newspaper or general circulation.

Approved,