Puno says 10,000 New Cops to Help Bridge Police-People Ratio

October 4, 2009

Secretary Ronnie Puno of the Department of the Interior and Local Government has called on lawmakers to approve the DILG proposal to hire 10,000 new police officers next year, saying such a plan will significantly improve the police-population ratio by 8% to one cop for every 649 people.

Puno, who chairs the National Police Commission (Napolcom), said the plan to more than triple the recruitment of new police officers from 3,000 in the last three years to 10,000 beginning July 2010 will require a budget of P1.4 billion. 

“This will bring down the police-population ratio, which is now at 1:698,  to 1:649 next year, representing an 8% improvement,” Puno had told members of the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives during the recent presentation by the DILG of its proposed 2010 budget.

The hiring of 10,000 new police officers, Puno said, will bring the total number of uniformed personnel in the Philippine National Police (PNP) to 142,390 by next year, which means there is still a shortage of some 43,000 to reach the ideal police-population ratio of 1:500.

“That’s why we are hoping that this large-scale recruitment of 10,000 police officers each year will continue in the years to come so that we can  move faster in reaching the ideal police-population ratio,  taking into account the annual population increase,” Puno said.

Puno recently led DILG officials in explaining before the members of the House appropriations committee the Department’s proposed P64.547 billion budget for 2010.

The committee is chaired by Quirino Rep. Junie Cua.

The Department of Budget and Management-recommended 2010 budget proposal is 3% higher than this year’s appropriations of P62.937 billion for the DILG.

Puno said the DILG’s budget proposal allocates funds for the implementation of its four priority thrusts that promote governance, namely, the implementation of Republic Act 9485 or the Anti-Red Tape Act; its projects on local economic assistance; its human rights initiatives; and its peace and order and security programs..

By  agency, the proposed budget allocates P1.882 billion for the Office of the Secretary, representing a 23% decrease from this year’s P2.435 billion funding,  Puno said.

For the PNP, Puno said the Department is proposing a budget of P49.664 billion, representing a 5% hike from its 2009 allocation of P47.268 billion.

He said for the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the proposed budget is 9% lower at P6.187 billion, from P6.815 billion this year, while the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) will get a recommended  7% hike from P4.192 billion in 2009 to P4.474 billion next year.

The Napolcom’s proposed budget for next year is P1.284 billion; Philippine Public Safety College, P969 million; and Local Government Academy, P85.263 million.

In terms of expenses, personal services will get the biggest chunk of the proposed budget at P53.107 billion, while maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) was allotted P8.588 billion, and capital outlay, P2.851 billion.