Amidst plans to trim down the number of general in the Philippine National Police from 133 to 25, the group Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) has expressed support to Senator Maria Imelda Josefa Remedios ‘Imee’ Marcos-Manotoc’s proposal to increase the mandatory retirement age for members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) from 56 years old to 57.

According to VACC president Arsenio ‘Boy’ Evangelista, retaining experienced policemen even for just a year could address the problem faced by the PNP in the shortage of manpower, especially in the light of the country’s rapid increase in population.

Based on the recommendation of the United Nations, the ideal police to population ration is set one police officer for every 450 citizens. However, the PNP has recorded that the current ratio the Philippines is 1:572 which clearly shows that our police force is far from ideal.

“This is why we support increasing the retirement age for police officers to one more year because this could significantly contribute to the PNP’s fulfillment of its mandate of serving the public and maintaining peace and order and enforcing the law,” Evangelista pointed out.

“Sayang kasi the wisdom and skills acquired during their tour of duty that can be used!” he added, citiing the wealth of experience acquired by most police officers throughout their careers that if used, would continue to benefit the organization and the public as well.

The VACC sees Senator Imee Marcos-Manotoc’s Senate Bill No. 2758, which proposes the increase in the retirement age of policemen, as a strategic move to address the PNP’s current personnel shortage while maximizing the potential of seasoned officers.

The later senator had explained that her proposed measure seeks to align the retirement age of PNP officers with that of the AFP in order to ensure that the institutional knowledge and expertise of seasoned police officers are retained to address personnel shortages and strengthen public safety efforts.

Evangelista noted that in comparison to the PNP, members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are required to retire at the age of 57, a policy that has allowed the AFP to maximize the service of its experienced personnel.

“By allowing officers to serve for another year, the skills and institutional knowledge gained over decades of service can still be used to meet the growing demands on law enforcement,” he concluded.