Press Release
February 18, 2009

Enrile says local officials must be
given power to choose police chiefs

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile today said local government officials should be given back the authority to select and appoint the local police chiefs since they are more familiar with the intricacies of the security situations in their localities.

Speaking before the Second National Convention of the Philippine Cities sponsored by the League of Cities in the Philippines (CLP) this morning at the EDSA Shangrila Hotel in Mandaluyong City, Enrile revealed he was always in favor of granting more police powers to local executives.

"I had always espoused the idea that the appointing authority for local police should rest on the local chief executives," Enrile said. "When our police force was 'nationalized', I had expressed some reservations at that time as I knew fully well that officials at the local level would be most familiar with the intricacies of the security situation in their areas of jurisdiction."

"They would be in the best position to know who, among the list of possible candidates, would be the best officer to help them maintain peace and order in their respective locality," Enrile explained. "As many of you would attest, whenever conflicts between local officials and local police arise, it becomes difficult for the local leadership to successfully meet, and achieve its objectives."

Enrile recalled that about a year ago, the Senate conducted an inquiry on the complaints of local officials that they were being bypassed in the selection of their police chiefs.

"That inquiry was initiated based on assertions that there had been cases where some police officers-in-charge held their positions indefinitely, bypassing the right of the local chief executives to select and appoint an officer they have chosen from a list of potential candidates provided by the Philippine National Police," he said.

The theme of this morning's convention was "Cities at the Crossroads: Development in a Rapidly Urbanizing World," which hopes to articulate the development challenges Philippine cities face today.

In his speech, Enrile said that having been in government service of "many decades now," he knew "too well that governance is not a popularity race or a trivial pursuit."

"Public service entails sacrifices, not only in terms of time, effort and resources," Enrile pointed out. "We leaders have to bear the ire and criticisms of the public when our decisions, choices or opinion do not suit theirs. But as they say, these are all part of the game of life. No matter how difficult it is, we need to be objective and, as far as practicable, we have to always be one step ahead."

As a legislator, the Senate President said he has been criticized on keeping an open mind on proposals to amend the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.

"But I have to be objective, with the best interest of our country foremost in my mind. We legislators are tasked to constantly figure out ways to help our people and our government," Enrile said. "A few changes on how our natural resources should be developed, utilized and conserved will, in my humble opinion, boost the progress of local governments making them more empowered and responsive to the basic necessities of their constituents."

Enrile also expressed optimism that the Philippines would survive the current global financial crisis, saying that Filipinos are gifted with resilience and the ability to bounce back from difficulties.

"Today's economic headlines may not be pleasant, but I see in your faces hope and enthusiasm to tackle these challenges," Enrile said. "I believe that the Philippines can survive this global financial crisis. Filipinos are blessed with talent, intelligence and world-class skills."

"We are gifted with resilience and the ability to bounce back after every debacle. I believe that no crisis is strong enough to shake our faith in God and in ourselves," he added.

He urged local executives to draw up their respective "long-term development plans" on how to respond to the international financial crisis.

"You will never go wrong with a development plan that includes health, education, employment, infrastructure, environment and security. Think out of the box," Enrile said.

As a first step, Enrile said local government unit officials must identify their assets and resources and how to harness them to address the challenges of urbanization.

"As local chief executives, you have the power to bring the concerns of the grassroots to the attention of policymakers at the national level. At the same time, you are the bridge between the national government and the people in the grassroots level," Enrile said.

As Senate President, Enrile said he still dreams of seeing vibrant and dynamic cities all over the country. "In a rapidly urbanizing world, local governments, especially the cities, grapple with a host of development problems such as unemployment, urban poverty, high crime rate and many more," Enrile said.

Enrile said he hoped the Second National Convention of Philippine Cities would yield positive results in terms of addressing urbanization challenges and propelling Philippine cities to greater economic heights. "This is an auspicious occasion to generate ideas and insights, reflect on past experiences and successes. Each one in this room has a wealth of ideas on how we can realize our dreams of having a prosperous and peaceful Philippines," Enrile said.

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