Honeylene A. Villegas
Colonial
Origins
Formal policing structures started in
the country during the Spanish colonization era, with the introduction of
Guardia Civil via a Royal Decree in 1852. The present system, however, is
clearly established also with American influence since the United States of
America won the Spanish-American War in 1898. This another era of oppression
resulted in the founding of guerrillas – Philippine field army constituting the
resistance force during that pressing time.
By 1899, the Philippine Revolutionary
Army was born, later renamed as the Philippine Republican Army, with both local
and defected foreign troops joining the ranks. Recruitments and conscriptions
also happened during the Philippine-American War. The group later became the
Philippine Constabulary (PC) in 1901, which was the insular police force under
American regime, combining the approaches and gears of an army with police
rules. This core body had been the foundation of armed and police forces that
were formed after the World War II and achieving independence from U.S. in 1946
– maintaining the peace and order and dealing with security threats.
Police controls were also involved in
quashing the oppositions, battling communist uprising (i.e. conflicts about
land tenure involving the execution of political and economic powers in favor
of the elite classes before), addressing the Muslim autonomy predicaments and
implementing Martial Law during the Marcos regime (1972 to 1986). In 1975,
Presidential Decree No. 765 was proclaimed inaugurating the Philippine
Constabulary Integrated National Police or the PC/INP as the national police
force.
People
Power
A few years after the EDSA Revolution,
the PC was transformed into Philippine National Police (PNP), which is
“national in scope and civilian in character.” Thus, Republic Act (RA) 6975
entitled, “An Act Establishing the PNP under a Reorganized Department of the
Interior and Local Government (DILG),” was signed into law in 1990 in
accordance with the newly promulgated 1987 Constitution of the Republic of The
Philippines. The PNP was operational in 1991 whose members were once part of
the PC and the INP and the “absorption of
the selected members [were] from the major service units of the Armed Forces of
the Philippines such as the Philippine Air Force Security Command, the
Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Navy, and the Philippine Army.”
Philippine Army - the main, oldest and the largest branch of the Armed
Forces of the Philippines responsible for ground warfare.
Army Vision
By 2028, a world-class Army that is a
source of national pride.
Army Core Purpose
Serving the People. Securing the Land.
Philippine Air Force -
the aerial warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Mission
To organize, train, equip, maintain and
provide forces in order to conduct prompt and sustained air operations to accomplish
the AFP mission.
Vision
A professional and competent Air Force
responsive to national security and development.
Functions
1.
Organize, train
and equip forces for prompt and sustained air operations for the defense of the
Philippines;
2.
Organize, train
and equip forces for airlift, airborne and tactical air operations unilaterally
or in coordination with surface forces;
3.
Formulate and
develop doctrines, concepts, systems, policies, procedures, strategies, tactics
and techniques for operations peculiar to the Air Force;
4.
Organize, train
and equip all Air Force reserve units; and
5.
Perform such
other functions as may be provided by law or assigned by higher authority.
Philippine Coast Guard
Mandates
The Philippine Coast Guard is mandated
and responsible to perform maritime search and rescue, maritime law
enforcement, maritime safety, marine environmental protection and maritime
security.
Vision
By 2028, PCG is a world class guardian
of the sea committed to save lives, ensure safe maritime transport, cleaner
seas, and secure maritime jurisdiction.
Mission
We are a uniformed armed service that
implements and enforces all national and international maritime safety,
security, search and rescue, and marine environmental protection laws in
support of the integrated Maritime Transportation Network objectives, national
security and economic development of the Philippines.
Philippine Navy - the naval warfare service branch of the Armed Forces
of the Philippines. The Philippine Marine Corps is under its command – a naval
infantry force.
Amended mandates were introduced soon
after, namely: RA 8551 “PNP Reform and Reorganization Act of 1998" and
further modified by RA 9708. See more details below extracted from the official
PNP website:
Philosophy
Service, Honor and Justice
Core Values
Ø Maka-Diyos (Pro-God)
Ø Makabayan (Pro-Country)
Ø Makatao (Pro-People)
Ø Makakalikasan (Pro-Environment)
Vision
Imploring the aid of the Almighty, by
2030, we shall be a highly capable, effective and credible police service
working in partnership with a responsive community towards the attainment of a
safer place to live, work and do business.
Mission
The PNP shall enforce the law, prevent
and control crimes, maintain peace and order, and ensure public safety and
internal security with the active support of the community.
Functions
1.
Law Enforcement.
2.
Maintain peace
and order.
3.
Prevents and
investigates crimes and bring offenders to justice.
4.
Exercise the
vested powers from the Philippine Constitution and pertinent laws.
5.
Detain an
arrested person for a period not beyond what is prescribed by law.
6.
Implements
pertinent laws and regulations on firearms and explosives control.
7.
Supervise and
control the training and operations of security agencies.
As stated in Article XVI, Section 6
under General Provisions of the 1987 Constitution, “The State shall establish
and maintain one police force, which shall be national in scope and civilian in
character, to be administered and controlled by a national police commission.
The authority of local executives over the police units in their jurisdiction
shall be provided by law.”
Moreover,
the PNP, “under the administrative
control and operational supervision of the National Police Commission,” is
linked with other law enforcement organizations such as the “National Law
Enforcement Coordinating Committee, Philippine Center for Transnational Crimes,
the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, International Enforcement Community
thru the INTERPOL, with the head of the PCTC as the Secretariat, and the Chief
PNP as the Chief of the National Central Bureau and a member of the ASEAN
Chiefs of Police or ASEANPOL, and a partner of the United Nations Center for
International Crime Prevention (UNCICP), 23 National Support Units (See
reference site at the end of this write-up),
From the above statements, we can say
that our policing systems keep evolving to suit the needs of the Filipino
people and to adapt to our current situations fit until a foreseeable future.
It is up to the authorities (from national as well as international echelons
down to barangay levels) to properly implement and observe the compliance to
laws and regulations and to all citizens to follow them conscientiously,
otherwise, crimes, chaos, abuse, corruption and wrongful politicization will
prevail in our territories.
References:
https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/
Politics
and Policing in the Philippines: Challenges to Police Reform
Glenn Varona
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/81291374.pdf
