Senator Risa Hontiveros said over the weekend that it’s not enough for women to man police desks as she expressed a desire to see in the future a woman heading the Philippine National Police.

Hontiveros, who chairs the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, urged the PNP to engage with more female officers in their service as she vouched for their capabilities.

Many women have graduated at the top of the Philippine Military Academy and the Philippine National Police but a woman has yet to head either the PNP or the Armed Forces of the Philippines
“Isn’t a female agent the one who captured the world’s worst pedophile?” she said. “It only proves that female law enforcers are capable of being a leader, intelligence officers, and even ground commanders, in the line of fire. Women’s proficiencies go beyond the desk.”

“Women can excel in many roles if given the chance. And I still look forward to the first woman PNP chief,” Hontiveros said. “I also hope that women already in the police force can help steer the PNP towards a more humane, inclusive, and rights-based standard of conduct. Let’s help each other, girls,” she added.

The National Capital Region Police Office has revealed a plan to replace male police officers for front-desk duty with their female colleagues. The plan gained support from female senators, among them Hontiveros and Grace Poe.

Poe said the move could help solve the underreporting of gender-based violence as female crime victims would be more comfortable reporting their experiences to police officers of the same gender.

Compassionate

“We know women to be more compassionate and more approachable, yet tough and determined,” she added.

However, the PNP already has a dedicated unit in dealing with complaints being filed by women — the women’s and children’s protection desks that can be found in police stations and precincts.

For Hontiveros, adding female workers in any organization is “always better,” especially in the male-dominated police force.

“We just hope that they would not be ‘type-cast’ or limited to positions like ‘customer relations,’” she added.

Last Friday, NCRPO director Maj. Gen. Edgar Alan Okubo bared his plan to remove male officers from desk duties and replace them with female officers.

Okubo explained that the decision was based on “bad” feedback from the public about male officers, who are usually manning front desks.

Poe, however, said the NCRPO should not stop from making male members of the police force more gender-sensitive.

“At the end of the day, good cops — female or male — will bolster the faith of people in the justice system and close the gap between communities and the police,” she said.