It requires major surgery. The PNP is behind half the human rights abuses in the country, according to the Philippines' Commission on Human Rights. In some surveys, the public rates the police as the least-respected institution in the country. And because of corruption and inefficiency, studies show crime has become the main worry of Filipinos after economic concerns. In short, Filipinos do not feel safe.
Crime remains a problem.
Some police buffoonery seems straight out of the Keystone Cops. The Senate is now debating a new crime-buster bill, introduced by Mercado, which would overhaul Philippine law enforcement and roll back changes made when Ferdinand Marcos consolidated his power by merging local police forces into a single national one. The PNP Reform Law, drafted after two years of consultations and studies, would end the military-like hierarchy used by the police. The present system gives police with loftier ranks authority beyond their immediate jurisdiction. The proposed system would put all police chiefs on equal footing.