A SOLON has a filed a bill at the House of Representatives that seeks to strengthen the police academy as a public higher educational institution.
House Bill 3507 provides for the conversion of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) into an autonomous institution in accordance with the Constitution’s mandate for higher learning institutions to determine “who may teach, what may be taught, how it shall be taught, and who may be admitted to study.”
Currently, the PNPA is supervised by a command group composed of police generals who occupy director, deputy director and chief of staff positions.
“In the years ahead, we are counting on the PNPA to produce the best and the brightest law enforcement officers imbued with exceptional leadership qualities and the highest standards of professional competence and personal integrity,” Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Project (4Ps) Party-list Rep. Marcelino C. Libanan said in a statement on Sunday.
Under the proposed measure, the PNPA will provide advanced and specialized education in public safety, social defense, internal security, human rights, and other relevant fields of study.
The bill also states the academy will be governed by a nine-member board of trustees, with the secretary of the Interior and Local Government and the chief of the Philippine National Police sitting as chairperson and co-chairperson, respectively. — Matthew Carl L. Montecillo