The Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs were able to uncover several operational gaps between the Philippine National Police and the Department of the Interior and Local Government following the latest panel inquiry over the alleged inhumane and violative arrest of Bonifacio mayor Samson Dumanjug by the PNP, said by the chairperson, Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa.
As the inquiry adjourned on Wednesday, Dela Rosa said the panel will be crafting a committee report recommending a revisitation of the PNP’s arrest protocols and operating procedures.
Dela Rosa urged the DILG, in consultation with the local government units, to craft guidelines for the proper and peaceful implementation of “Orders and Decisions” of the respective Sanggunian in LGUs.
“The DILG should be more proactive in exercising the President’s power of general supervision over local governments, especially when there are administrative cases filed against public officials that, in turn, may hamper the delivery of services to their constituents,” he said.
Also, the panel cited the need for the DILG, in partnership with the Department of Justice, to train and offer capacity-building programs to LGU officials and personnel that are discharging quasi-judicial functions.
The Senate panel is urging the review of implementing rules and regulations of Republic Act No. 10121, otherwise known as the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010.
Dela Rosa said a recent inquiry by his panel, through Resolution 689, is seen as a venue for the upper chamber to come up with sound proposals that are beneficial, not only for one province but also for the rest of the country.
“Because the Senate is national in scope, and because we know full well that what occurs in one locality may very well also become a problem in others, we refuse to dismiss and undermine this as simply a local concern. For me, and for this Senate, nothing is too local to be considered insignificant,” he said.
Citing the previous inquiry on the political turmoil in the Negros Oriental that killed Gov. Roel Degamo and eight others, Dela Rosa emphasized the need to give attention to local conflicts that hamper the delivery of public services to the ordinary Filipino people.
“I filed Senate Resolution No. 698 because, even if Misamis Occidental is just one province in the entire Philippines, no political unrest is too small to go unnoticed,” he said.
During the second day of the inquiry, Senator Koko Pimentel said the country’s national disaster law, particularly the activation of the Incident Command System or ICS “was misused” during the serving of the suspension order against Bonifacio Mayor Samson Dumanjug.
Pimentel also noted that although the ICS could be activated during a national disaster and human-induced incidents, it should not be used to resolve political impasses such as the Bonifacio town incident.
“That is why I am challenging the Department of the Interior and Local Government to use your institutional experience and look for commonality on how you have solved similar impasses in the past,” Pimentel said.
The Senate panel began the inquiry on Tuesday and continued Wednesday.