COINCIDING with the world’s celebration of International Women’s Day, the House Committee on Public Order and Safety led by Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez formed a technical working group (TWG) to deliberate on House Bills (HB) 1005, 1779, 5708, and 5740, which seek to raise the recruitment quota requirement of female Philippine National Police (PNP) officers.
Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre, one of HB 5740 authors, said that the measure proposes to set the minimum proportion of female recruits annually at 20 percent. Through the measure, the PNP will be able to meet the goal of a police force that is 50 percent female, as provided under the Magna Carta of Women.
Philippine Commission on Women Senior GAD Specialist Aurora San Juan expressed support for the bills, adding that the measure would help make law enforcement agencies be more inclusive and responsive.
Lawmakers also approved the unnumbered substitute bill to HBs 1242, 3516, 3605, 3656, 3751, 4078, 5313, 5641, 6422, and 7124, which would provide for the rank classification and organization of key positions in the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).
The panel also concurred to consolidate HBs 3867 and 6382, which seeks to mandate annual psychiatric, psychological drug, and physical tests for police officers. Parañaque City Rep. Gus Tambunting, in sponsoring HB 3867, underscored that police officers must be healthy to be able to fulfill their duties as protectors of peace and order.
The committee also acted on HR 724, calling for an inquiry into the restrictive and questionable fire truck procurement bidding process of the BFP in line with its modernization program. ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro requested that representatives from the Commission on Audit, the Philippine Competition Commission, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government be invited to look into the BFP’s bidding procedures.
