Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on Thursday raised concerns about a recent National Police Commission (Napolcom) memorandum circular that could negatively impact the career advancement of Philippine National Police officers.

The lawmaker specifically criticized a provision that excludes mandatory and specialized training periods from the calculation of time-in-grade requirements for promotions.

“We even re-require our people to go to school as a requirement for a promotion. Now, we will no longer count their schooling in the time in grade,” Dela Rosa said.

He also argued that this policy change could discourage officers from pursuing advanced training, as it would delay their career progression.

“It’s hard for the ordinary police to understand because it’s the first time this happened; that means when you undergo a mandatory schooling or specialized schooling, it’s like you didn’t have a rank back then because it was not counted at that time,” Dela Rosa said.

The senator also pointed out the potential negative impact on police morale and welfare, as officers may feel demotivated by the new policy.

“This is demoralizing. We all want our police to be happy because they are serving this country and they’re offering their lives in the service of this country,” the lawmaker said.

Dela Rosa suggested replacing the term “time in grade” with “time in position” in the memorandum to address the issue.

Meantime, Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino acknowledged the issue and assured that the Napolcom would issue a new circular to rectify the error.