Jonvic Remulla eyes reducing number of PNP generals to 25

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Tuesday said he is recommending that the number of police generals be trimmed down from over 130 to just 25.

Remulla said trimming down the ''top-heavy'' police organization is among the priorities of his leadership in the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

''That's my plan... It's still a plan, that's one of my recommendations, to flatten the organization,'' Remulla said at a Palace press briefing.

''There are a lot of generals without commands. Mayroon tayong APC, area police commands, na wala naman tao sa ilalim nila. So marami tayong lugar na redundancies na kailangan i-trim down. It's a 32-year-old law na kailangan bisitahin ulit,'' he added. 

Asked if this could affect the morale of police officials, Remulla said, ''They’re also soldiers. Ano naman iyon eh, they follow orders and we’ll see.''

He clarified that it was just a recommendation, noting that ''nothing's final.''

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Police General Rommel Marbil earlier urged lawmakers to amend Republic Act 6975, the law establishing the national police force, to address what he considers its organizational flaws.

Marbil said there is a need to transition the PNP into a "flatter, more streamlined structure" for faster decision-making, especially during emergencies, improved accountability, and better communication across all ranks.

Marbil also said decentralizing the police force would reduce delays and enhance operational efficiency as it empowers lower-ranking officers to make localized decisions. —KBK/BM, GMA Integrated News