More stringent recruitment, ‘integrity education’ for cops eyed

MANILA, Philippines — Tightening the police force’s recruitment processes and enhancing “integrity education” are being eyed in the wake of a number of police officers getting involved or tagged in illegal activities.

This was the response of the National Police Commission (Napolcom) and the Philippine National Police – Internal Affairs Service (PNP IAS) to a recent series of alleged violations by several Quezon City Police District (QCPD) officers.

“Baka kailangan pa mas stringent… [M]ahigpit na ang recruitment processes ng PNP. Pero given this spate of incidents na hindi naman natin pwedeng sabihing isolated, baka kailangan pa natin mas silipin pa,” Napolcom Vice Chairperson Rafael Calinisan said in an interview on Wednesday over dzBB.

(Maybe we need to be more stringent.  The recruitment processes of the PNP are already strict. But given this spate of incidents that we cannot call isolated, maybe we need to look into it even more.)

“Pansinin natin na medyo mga low-ranking ang mga nai-involve. Kakapasok pa lang nila sa serbisyo. Baka hindi nila gaanong naiintindihan yung gaano kalaki yung responsibilidad ng pagsuot ng ganyang uniporme,” Calinisan added.

(Notice that those involved are usually low-ranking officers. They’ve just entered the service. They might not yet understand just how big the responsibility is of wearing that uniform.)

Cases of alleged violations

One case involved a police officer breaking into three homes, threatening residents, and harming a grandmother and a minor in Barangay Damayan, Quezon City.

The officer, a staff sergeant, allegedly under the influence of liquor was supposedly searching for an individual who had spread rumors about him being involved in the illegal drugs trade.

READ: Cop held for breaking into home, hurting minor  

Another case involved the QCPD investigation chief, a desk officer and a jail officer who allegedly escorted a female detainee to a hotel to meet her family.

READ: QCPD investigation chief, 2 more cops relieved 

Further, ten Quezon City police officers are under investigation for allegedly failing to declare a bag of suspected marijuana recovered during an operation and charging the individuals they apprehended only with illegal gambling instead of drug-related offenses.

READ: 10 QC cops in hot water for not reporting seized marijuana

‘Integrity education’

“[K]ailangan talaga na paigtingin yung tinatawag namin na integrity education sapagkat maaaring minsan nakakalimutan yung kanilang tungkulin,” PNP – IAS Inspector General Brigido Dulay said in a press conference at Camp Crame also on Wednesday.

(We need to uphold what we call integrity education because it may be that sometimes their duties are forgotten.)

“[T]ama naman na dapat magkaroon ng edukasyon. Sa recruitment kasi, basic skills lang tinuturo. Pero yung integridad, professionalism? Yan naman ay hindi mo maaaring ituro lang sa classroom. Yan ay isinasaloob. Kapag isinasaloob mo, ibang proseso kailangan mo,” he added.

(It’s right that there needs to be education. Recruitment only teaches basic skills. But integrity, professionalism? Those cannot be taught in a classroom. That’s internalized. And when you internalize, you need a different process.)

Dulay said the PNP – IAS will launch an “integrity caravan” in the coming months in hopes of re-instilling the value into police officers.

‘Not reflective’

Dulay also said that the number of erring police officers was not representative of the 225,000-strong national police force.

“Yung datos namin sa Internal Affairs Service, yung mga pulis natin na nasasangkot sa ganitong pangyayari, ito naman ay mga isang porsyento ng buong pwersa ng kapulisan,” he said.

(Our data at the Internal Affairs Service shows that police officers who are involved illegal activities make up only 1 percent of the whole police force.)

“Hindi ito justification para gawin ng mga pulis natin, pero para sa 99 porsyento ng mga kasama ko sa PNP na walang problema. Marami diyan, hindi naman sa operations. Nagtatrabaho nang matino, nagtatrabaho nang maayos,” he added.

(This isn’t justification for what the police did, but this is for the 99 percent of my comrades in the PNP who have no problems. Many of them are in operations. They’re just doing their jobs right.)

Dulay pointed out that there were 674 complaints lodged against police officers for alleged violations as of April 22, 2025.

He also reported that 1,897 cases were filed against police officers in 2023 and 2,073 cases in 2024.

READ: Internal affairs: 674 complaints only 1% of total police work force