Village Connect
As robust as his training and position requires, PNP Chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil has a soft heart for the poor. He streamlined the requirements for applicants to a security guard position (by removing the uniforms mandated in years past before they could go through tests and interviews at Camp Crame).
“Kaya nga sila magse security guard kasi wala silang pera, tapos pahihirapan pa sila by asking them to be in uniform (which they should buy or rent) when asked to show up for tests and interviews at Camp Crame.”
During his stint in Cavite, his exposure to the relocated squatters from Metro Manila dumped in Dasmarinas Cavite during past administrations added to his soft heart and empathy for the downtrodden.
He also wants active policemen to have the legal (with help from the private sector) and medical support (by working with HMOs) they need in pursuing their careers (even legal assistance for retired cops with pending cases in line of duty) and he is working out changes in the requirement for getting promoted to higher positions to a two-year law degree instead of a two-year masteral degree.
“It is natural that they have full knowledge of the law (through the law degree) since we are law enforcers and they can defend themselves and their peers in court against those highly-paid de campanilla legal practitioners, who are hired by the moneyed criminals like drug pushers, smugglers, cybercriminals and human traffickers,” he told the Inquirer in an interview over the weekend.
Take for instance, the operation in Davao, where the policemen equipped with an arrest warrant were denied entry to handcuff fugitive Apollo Quiboloy and five other men by the lawyer for three hours in the vast estate of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
“We had absolutely reliable information that the hunted people were inside but they stalled the operation for three hours (the cops entered the area at 4 a.m. but were only allowed inside at past 7 a.m.) enough time for the wanted persons to escape. Some policemen were hurt by the numerous armed supporters in the area brandishing axes and other arms.Yet the police are now getting beaten by public opinion,” he explained in exasperation.
As Inquirer entered the conference hall inside the Chief’s official residence called the White House, Marbil was busy rummaging through a folder marked “secret” from the field reports on the Davao incident aside from scouring the newspapers for tidbits on the operation.
“I studied every report and the only thing I can gather is that the policemen handled the situation very professionally and it was not “an overkill as criticized by former President Duterte” except for situation lapses when they failed to get the wanted fugitives of the law. They exercised maximum tolerance, he insisted.
“We were not after a pastor or an influential person, we were after a man accused of child abuse and illegal human trafficking which are non-bailable offenses under the law,” Marbil said.
He credits the senior officers of PNP for helping him achieve continuity of past programs like synchronizing 911 (initially for Metro Manila) to achieve faster response time on emergencies; urging LGUs to require the installation of CCTVs in all business establishments for the protection of the citizenry and their properties; training and upskilling personnel who will man the unit to bust cybercriminals and identity phishers; abolishing some old offices and units that are no longer relevant in current conditions and downloading some officers and personnel to brush up and implement the numerous streamlined policies required in the field offices.
He urged the regional field offices of PNP to excel in whatever programs are needed in their areas and not adapt to a uniform program. “For instance when I was the director of PNP Region 8 our problem was terrorism, which is not a problem in Metro Manila. So we must excel in anti terrorism.” For this reason, he does not believe in a competition that is based on uniform criteria.
Quite extraordinary for a PNP Chief, he has sacred images/icons of the Virgin Mary and Jesus in his office and in his official home and at noontime, it is customary for him to ask his office staff to gather for a reading of the day’s gospel aside from short meditation and prayers,. In addition, his family has regular prayer recitals at home with his wife and daughter (who just recently finished a master’s degree in architecture abroad). But he is quick to confess that “I am just an ordinary Catholic.”
Talking about what legacy he intends to leave PNP when he exits in February 2025, he says “all I want (to achieve) is safety for everyone. Like I told the President, basta ligtas lahat. You can walk safely outside at night without being mugged, your home is safe and your personal identity is safe from identity thieves.”
“All my predecessors were very good. They left good policies and programs, which I am continuing or improvising a little on, and they all trained me well (including his stint with UN Peacekeeping Force in Liberia) which I am grateful for. And the trust reposed on me by the President, there is nothing I should want more.“
