A member of the House of Representatives has refuted the claims of Vice President Sara Duterte that there is a shortage of policemen in the Philippines, saying that with 228,000 members of the Philippine National Police (PNP), the country has an ideal police-to-population ratio of 1:507.
Sta. Rosa Rep. Dan Fernandez, the chairperson of the House Committee on Public Order and Safety, rebuffed VP Duterte’s recent claims in her reaction to the PNP’s recall of 75 members of her security detail.
“I beg to disagree. We have like 115 million Filipinos and the ideal ratio is 1:500, one policeman to 500 people. And kung idi-divide mo iyong 115 million sa 228,000 na mga police sa buong Pilipinas, we already have a ratio of 1:507,” Fernandez said.
“And having said that, we have achieved already the ideal ratio,” he declared.
VP Duterte has been criticizing PNP chief Gen. Rommel Marbil for the recall of her police security, recently saying that the police-to-population ratio in the country cannot be solved “during our lifetime.”
This is entirely false, says Fernandez, saying that, “As a matter of fact, ngayong 2025 mag-i-increase tayo ng another 10,000 na mga recruitment na mga bagong pulis.”
Based on the current police-to-population ratio of 1:507, the said 75 recalled policemen assigned to VP Duterte can be reassigned to secure the safety of 38,025 Filipino citizens.
Fernandez said the same goes for the members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) assigned to the security detail of VP Duterte, which numbers 400, according to the military service itself.
“Kung ating pagbabasehan iyong analytical data and mathematical computation ng pagbibigay ng security sa ating VP Sara, kasi meron tayong 150,000 na AFP eh … At kung tayo archipelagic nation, we are composed of, I think 7,641 islands at 2,000 po ang inhabited ng tao,” he noted.
“At kung itong 2,000 na inhabited ng tao, di ba at meron tayong 150,000 na mga sundalo, kung scatter mo iyan doon sa 2,000 islands, meron tayong 75 soldiers na naka-assign lamang sa bawat isla. Having said that, kung meron si VP Sara na 400 na sundalo na naka-assign sa kanya at meron tayong 75 soldiers sa bawat isla, I think that is excessive and that is somehow irrational,” he added.
Fernandez said that as public officials, they must be prudent to maximize the use of security forces such as the AFP who is tasked to defend the country from external threats.
“I hope na siguro iyong 400 na bigay sa kanya, I think she have to be thankful to the government for giving that number of AFP (soldiers). Kasi kung titingnan mo, mas marami pa iyong nakatalaga sa kanya kesa sa ibibigay natin sa bawat isla ng ating bansa,” Fernandez said.
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