Three congressmen have introduced House Bill (HB) No. 7686, a measure that would empower the Philippine National Police (PNP) to hire technical specialists to boost its law enforcement skills.

Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte, Benguet Rep. Eric Yap, and ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Edvic Yap introduced the measure on March 22.

According to Duterte, hiring highly qualified professionals through the PNP's lateral entry program will significantly assist the police organization in keeping people safe from crime and other threats to public safety at a time when criminals have turned to technology and other sophisticated means to commit their illegal acts.

He added that more professionals will be recruited to the PNP service through the proposed measure, in the hopes of strengthening the PNP's human resource and technical capabilities in serving the people and addressing the various challenges in the institution's campaign against criminality, illegal drugs, violent extremism, lawlessness, terrorism, natural manmade disasters, and other issues.

It is currently in the hands of the House Committee on Public Order and Safety.

According to the bill, the following specialists could be included in the PNP lateral entrance program:

• aeronautical engineers

• chemical engineers

• computer engineers

• chemists

• civil engineers

• criminologists

• dentists

• electrical engineers

• electronics engineers

• molecular biologists

• naval architects

• nuclear physicists

Guidance and counseling professionals, sports medicine, veterinary medicine, mechanical engineers, medical technologists, metallurgical engineers, nurses, nutritionists and dieticians, optometrists, physical therapists, psychologists, psychometricians, social workers, IT professionals, and forensic science graduates are also sought.

Technical specialists who hold the relevant Professional Regulation Commission license or Civil Service Professional eligibility may be admitted to the PNP.

The bill will also alter the Department of the Interior and Local Government Act of 1990 (Republic Act No. 6975) to change the first rank of PNP Academy graduates from police inspector to police lieutenant.

Those who enter the PNP through the lateral entrance program will be assigned the same rank.