The Philippine National Police (PNP) has become a bloated top-heavy organization, no thanks to the civil service rules that apply to it, Interior and Local Government Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla admitted on Thursday.

Remulla pledged to address the growing issue of police personnel being eligible for promotion every three years, a system that has led to the routine advancement of officers up the ranks not necessarily based on merit and organizational needs.

He contrasted the three-year promotion rule in the PNP with the military’s five-year promotion policy, explaining that the PNP, as a civilian entity, allows for faster advancement.

Nonetheless, Remulla acknowledged that in the PNP promotions have become more of an expectation than a privilege, particularly in the case of high-ranking officers.

“So I propose that promotions should be based on merit, on need, and on function,” he said, citing the situation in the National Capital Region Police Office where both the chief and the deputy hold the same rank of one-star general.

“So why do you have two generals of the same rank occupying positions one higher than the other?” he asked.

CA hearing

During a Commission on Appointments (CA) hearing, Remulla pointed out that many generals were promoted despite having no command directly under them, citing “discrepancies” in how police generals are assigned.

“Sometimes there are floating generals and their capabilities are wasted. With proper conversation and deliberation with the PNP and the national government, we should be able to make the responsibilities of the generals clearer and delineate their areas of command much better,” he said.

Remulla addressed several concerns raised by CA members, particularly about his plan to streamline the PNP’s organizational structure.

“I came from totally new ground, and I wanted to see what the reactions would be. Upon study, we do not have 153 men, we have 153 generals, and a lot of them are redundant,” he said.

Senate, House support

On Wednesday, the CA approved Remulla’s ad interim appointment as DILG secretary.

During the plenary deliberation on his appointment, he received unanimous support from both the Senate and the House of Representatives, with no opposition to his confirmation.

In addition to his plans to address promotion concerns, Remulla said he will improve the qualification standards for PNP applicants and give scholarships to graduates of the PNP Academy to go to law school.

In October, Remulla recommended a significant reduction in the number of police generals from 153 to 25 in order to overhaul what he described then as a “top-heavy” organization.

In a Palace press briefing at the time, he said that restructuring the PNP’s leadership would be one of his top priorities in the DILG.

No commands

“That’s my plan, it’s still a plan, but it’s one of my key recommendations — to flatten the organization,” Remulla said.

He identified the post of Area Police Command or APC chief having generals with no commands under them.

“There are many generals without commands. We have APCs with no personnel under them, and there are many areas with redundancies that need to be trimmed down. This is a 32-year-old law that needs to be revisited,” he said of Republic Act 6975 that created the PNP.

He brushed aside concerns his restructuring would affect the officers’ morale, saying: “They’re also soldiers. It’s their duty to follow orders, and we’ll see how it goes.”

“It’s just a recommendation, nothing’s final,” he had said then.

PNP chief General Rommel Marbil has called on lawmakers to amend RA 6975, citing the need for a “flatter, more streamlined structure” to facilitate quicker operational decisions and actions.

He said lower-ranking officers should be allowed to make localized decisions.

In July, Marbil said the ideal police-to-population ratio of 1:500 must be realized, as opposed to the current 1:2,000 ratio.