THE PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) said the information it obtains from civilian organizations is purely a result of its active partnership with the community to improve the country's peace and order situation.
"I had a meeting with all regional directors, district directors city directors provincial directors, and I had them explain the step-by-step procedure in organizing and mobilizing our advocacies and supporters, and just like what I said earlier, we have been doing this for a long time. I can also assure that this information is obtained with consent and will be utilized for peace and order purposes," said PNP chief, Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, in an interview with CNN Philippines on Tuesday night.
Eleazar's remarks came after Senator Panfilo Lacson called out the PNP for supposed illegal data-gathering activities, saying the police force must not engage in partisan politics while allegedly using public funds and become "bastardized".
"Si Senator Lacson ang number one supporter sa NTF ELCAC (National Task Force against Local Communist Armed Conflict) dahil alam niya at naging Chief PNP siya na once and for all, dapat matigil na ang insurgency at ang ating Pangulo ay seryoso sa laban na ito. Hindi namin sasayangin yung pagtitiwala at suporta ni Senator Lacson, hindi ito gagamitin sa partisan politics (Senator Lacson is the number one supporter of the NTF ELCAC. He is a former PNP chief and he knows that once and for all, insurgency must stop and our President is serious in this battle. We will not put to waste the trust and support Senator Lacson has given us and this will not be used in engaging in partisan politics)," he added.
Eleazar said the cooperation between the police force and the community has been proven effective in fighting crime and other threats to peace and order.
"We need engagement and other inputs from the community. We conduct lectures and seminars so this is a product of volunteerism and purely intended to strengthen the partnership between the police and community in the fight against criminality terrorism drugs other forms of criminality," he said.
He added that the country is now reaping the fruits of this strong partnership as the country's crime rate decreased by more than 64 percent in the last five years.
Last week, Lacson named Directorate for Police-Community Relations chief, Maj. Gen. Rhodel Sermonia, as the official behind the PNP's alleged census using NTF ELCAC funds in different barangays nationwide, which he said might be linked to next year's elections.
The PNP has denied the allegation saying it is implementing an approach that deepens police-community relations programs by working with different communities nationwide, including non-government organizations (NGOs), and advocacy groups. (Christopher Lloyd Caliwan)
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