PBBM highlights importance of enhanced communication within PNP

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has called for improved communication within the Philippine National Police, highlighting its importance in disaster response and other critical situations.

Speaking during the first PNP Command Conference in Quezon City on Thursday, Marcos Jr. emphasized the need for efficient communication channels.

"We have to be able to communicate with each other, especially here in disaster response. We need to know what the situation is on the ground. The police officers there need to be able to report immediately if something happens; this is the situation; this is what we need,” Marcos said.

Marcos told PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. to secure a plan to improve its communications capacity.

The President expressed concern regarding the current state of the PNP's communication infrastructure, citing low adoption rates of digital radio systems.

"The fill-up is too low. Even digital radio, tactical – we did not reach 40 percent in any of the categories,” Marcos said.

“This lack of adequate communication capabilities, according to Marcos Jr., hinders the PNP's ability to perform its duties effectively. You cannot do your job without being able to communicate because you will wait for instructions, report to the central office, etc.," Marcos explained.

However, Marcos Jr. also acknowledged the positive trend of decreasing technology costs.

"The advantage that we have is that technology is getting cheaper," Marcos Jr. said, mentioning satellite phones and other communication equipment.

"So, let's check what it is that we can do so we can provide our people with the best possible communications equipment,” Marcos Jr. added.

As of February 14th, the Philippine National Police (PNP) still has a long way to go in acquiring at least fifty percent of its needed communications equipment.

Reportedly, they have only achieved a 32.05 percent fulfillment for digital radios, 33.98 percent for tactical radios, and a mere 2.48 percent for satellite phones.

The acquisition of these essential communication tools falls within the scope of the PNP Capability Enhancement Program. However, the procurement process is still ongoing.

Specifically, for the CEP 2023, the PNP has yet to finalize the purchase of 18 conventional repeaters valued at PhP54 million and 80 satellite phones worth PhP6.5 million.

Moving forward to the CEP 2024, the PNP plans to acquire 2,039 body-worn cameras, a digital trunked radio system, an additional 18 conventional repeaters, and 420 VHF low-band handheld radios, with an estimated cost of PhP585 million.

Although the procurement for CEP 2024 is facing delays due to issues with the Terms of Reference, the PNP assures that they are actively resolving these concerns.

The PNP aims to complete the procurement for both CEP 2023 and 2024 within the year 2024. This completion is expected to increase their fulfillment rates to 32.07 percent for digital radios, 39.17 percent for tactical radios, and 6.03 percent for satellite phones.