Newly appointed Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla will push for fairer promotion processes within the Philippine National Police (PNP).
During an interview with reporters at the turnover ceremony at the National Police Commission Center in Quezon City on Wednesday, Remulla emphasized his desire to eliminate politics from the PNP.
"I want to make it a merit-based system [of] who gets promoted and who doesn’t. Ang nangyayari kasi ngayon ay palakasan," said Remulla.
In a briefing at Camp Crame, PNP spokesperson BGen. Jean Fajardo emphasized that the PNP has established policies to prevent patronage, particularly in the promotion and assignment of senior officers.
Fajardo underscored the role of the Senior Officers' Placement and Promotion Board (SOPPB), which is tasked with screening and selecting candidates for key positions.
She added that the PNP aims to protect itself from political influence in officer assignments and is open to discussing this issue with the new DILG secretary.
The law governing the PNP under the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) gives local government executives the authority to select their chiefs of police from a recommended list and assign officers to their cities or municipalities.
Remulla clarified that he intends to uphold the role of local government units (LGUs) in the selection process, drawing from his experience as Cavite governor.
He also stated that he would recommend "structural changes" within the PNP.
Former SILG Benjamin 'Benhur' Abalos Jr. officially transferred his position to Remulla on Wednesday.
Abalos will be running for senator in the 2025 midterm elections.
