The Philippine National Police

Originating from a merging of the Philippine Constabulary and the Integrated National Police, the
Philippine National Police (PNP) is the civilian national police force of the Philippines. The following is a
brief history of the PNP and the organizational structure that it holds today.

philippine national police assembly march

I. HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS

The Philippine National Police (PNP) originated from the Philippine Constabulary or the PC, which was
inaugurated on August 8, 1901, establishing it as an insular police force under the American regime. On
August 8, 1975, Presidential Decree no. 765 was issued, establishing the Philippine Constabulary
Integrated National Police or the PC/INP as the country’s national police force. These fragmented and
diverse local police units were integrated into a national police force with the Philippine Constabulary as
its nucleus.

After the People’s Revolution in 1986, a new Constitution was promulgated providing for a police force,
which is “national in scope and civilian in character.” Consequently, Republic Act No. 6975 entitled, “An
Act Establishing the Philippine National Police under a Reorganized Department of the Interior and Local
government (DILG),” was signed into law on December 13, 1990, which took effect on January 1, 1991.
Subsequently, the PNP was operational on January 29, 1991, whose members were formerly the PC and
the INP and the absorption of the selected members from the major service units of the Armed Forces of
the Philippines such as the Philippine Air Force Security Command, the Philippine Coast Guard,
Philippine Navy, and the Philippine Army.

Thus, to further strengthen the PNP into a highly efficient and competent police force, Republic Act No.
8551 entitled “PNP Reform and the Reorganization Act of 1998” was enacted on February 17, 1998,
amending certain provisions of Republic Act No. 6975.

II. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

1. RELATIONSHIP OF THE PNP TO THE DILG

Pursuant to Republic Act No. 6975 as amended by Republic Act No. 8551, The PNP in under the
administrative control and operational supervision of the National Police Commission. Meanwhile, the
NAPOLCOM is an attached agency of the Department of the Interior and Local Government for policy
and program coordination. The Secretary of the Interior and Local government is mandated to be the Ex-
Officio Chairman of NAPOLCOM.

2. THE PNP ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

In order to accomplish the mission, powers and functions of the PNP, its structure was provided for as
follows:

The PNP Command Group is headed by the Chief PNP who is vested with the power to command and
direct the PNP. He is also assisted by two Deputies assigned to the administration of the PNP and one for
operations side.

The Chief of the Directorial Staff serves as the Chief Operations Officer of the PNP. He coordinates,
supervises, and directs the Directorial Staff and the PNP units in the performance of their respective
functions.

The Internal Affairs Service (IAS) is headed by a Inspector General who assists the Chief PNP in ensuring
operational readiness and investigates infractions of the regulations committed by the members of the
PNP.

The Human Rights Affairs Office (HRAO) is headed by a senior police commissioned officer who serves as
a manager of the facility that will supervise the implementation of the guidelines and policies on human
rights laws.

The Center for Police Strategy Management (CPSM) serves as the Central facility of the PNP in
coordinating and integrating all strategy management processes, sustaining its strategy execution and
management, and instilling in the organization a culture of strategy focus.

The Directorial Staff is composed of 16 directorates. Every Director in each unit has also his defined
function in line with his specialization as follows:

The Directorate for Personnel and Records Management (DPRM). The director optimizes the utilization
of personnel resources both from the PNP- uniformed and non- uniformed personnel.

The Directorate for Intelligence (DI). The director manages the gathering/collating of intelligence
objectives through effective management of all intelligence and counter-intelligence activities of the
PNP. He also serves as the linkage of all foreigners with official transactions with the chief PNP.

The Directorate for Operations (DO). The director exercises the command, the control, the direction, the
coordination and the supervision of all activities on PNP operations such as deployment and
employment of personnel.
The Directorate for Logistics (DL). The director administers and manages material resources needed for
the PNP operations.

The Directorate for Plans (DPL). The director plans and programs strategic PNP operations. He also
represents the PNP in the inter-agency and international affairs on peace and order.

The Directorate for Comptrollership (DC). The director administers and manages the fiscal financial
resources.

The Directorate for Police-Community Relations (DPCR). The director formulates and implements
community –related activities, programs and projects. He also supervises the PNP Salaam Police Center
to undertake close monitoring, networking and liaisoning activities with the Muslim communities in
addressing terrorism and lawless violence in their respective areas to guarantee that the Muslims are not
discriminated, oppressed or singled-out.

The Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM). The director coordinates. Controls
and supervises all investigation activities.

The Directorate for Human Resource and Doctrine Development (DHRDD). The director formulates
policies on matters pertaining to human resources and doctrine development.

The Directorate for Research and Development (DRD). The director engages in research and
development and does testing and evaluation of self-reliant projects.

The Directorate for Information and Communications Technology Management (DICTM). The director
integrates and standardizes all the PNP information systems and resources to further improve the
frontline services.

Five (5) Directorates for Integrated Police Operations (DIPOs). The Directors of the clustered areas for
Integrated Police Operations, namely: Eastern Mindanao, Western Mindanao, Visayas, Southern and
Northern Luzon are given the responsibility to direct and to supervise the conduct of integrated anti-
criminality, internal security, counter- terrorism operations, to promote inter-operability with the Armed
Forces of the Philippines, and to provide a system to promote regional socio-economic development.

There are 23 National Support Units of the PNP. Eleven (11) of which are administrative while twelve (12)
are operational in nature. The eleven Administrative Units are as follows:

Logistics Support Service (LSS).

Information Technology Management Service (ITMS).

Finance Service (FS).

Health Service (HS)..

Communications and Electronics Service (CES).

Chaplain Service (CHS).

Legal Service (LS).

Headquarters Support Service (HSS).

Engineering Service( ES).

Training Service (TS). and

PNP Retirement and Benefits Administration Service (PRBS).

The twelve (12) operational support units and their respective functions are as follows:

Maritime Group (MG). This group is responsible to perform all police functions over Philippine Territorial
waters, lakes, and rivers along coastal areas to include ports and harbors and small islands for the
security and the sustainability development of the maritime environment.

Intelligence Group (IG). This group serves as the intelligence and counter-intelligence operating unit of
the PNP.

Police Security and Protection Group (PSPG). This group provides security to government vital
installations, government officials, visiting dignitaries and private individuals authorized to be given
protection.

Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG). This group monitors, investigates, prosecutes all
crimes involving economic sabotage, and other crimes of such magnitude and extent as to indicate their
commission by highly placed or professional criminal syndicates and organizations. It also conducts
organized- crime –control, all major cases involving violations of the revised penal Code, violators of
SPECIAL LAWS assigned to them such as Anti-hijacking, Anti-Carnapping and Cyber crimes among others
and atrocities committed by Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)/New People’s Army
(NPA)/National Democratic Front (NDF).

Special Action Force (SAF). This group is a mobile strike force or a reaction unit to augment regional ,
provincial, municipal and city police force for civil disturbance control, internal security operations,
hostage-taking rescue operations, search and rescue in times of natural calamities, disasters and national
emergencies and other special police operations such as ant-hijacking, anti-terrorism, explosives and
ordnance disposal. On a special note, the PNP Air Unit is placed under the supervision of SAF.

Aviation Security Group (AVEGROUP). This group provides security to all airports throughout the
country.

Highway Patrol Group (HPG). This group enforces the traffic laws and regulations, promote safety along
the highways, enhances traffic safety consciousness through inter- agency cooperation concerning Police
Traffic Safety Engineering, Traffic Safety Education and Traffic Law enforcement functions and develops
reforms in the crime prevention aspect against all forms of lawlessness committed along National
Highway involving the use of motor vehicles.

Police-Community Relations Group (PCRG). This group undertakes and orchestrates Police Community
Relations program and activities in partnership with concerned government agencies, the community,
and volunteer organizations in order to prevent crime and attain a safe and peaceful environment.

Civil Security Group (CSG). This group regulates business operations and activities of all organized private
detectives, watchmen, security guards/agencies and company guard forces. It also supervises the
licensing and registration of firearms and explosives.

Crime Laboratory (CL). This group provides scientific and technical, investigative aide and support to the
PNP and other investigative agencies. It also provides crime laboratory examination, evaluation and
identification of physical evidence gathered at the crime scene with primary emphasis on medical,
biological and physical nature.

PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group (PNP-AKG). This Group serves as the primary unit of the PNP in addressing
kidnapping menace in the country and in handling hostage situations. And

PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP- ACG). This Group is responsible for the implementation of pertinent
laws on cybercrimes and anti-cybercrime campaigns of the PNP.

For the main PNP operating units, there are seventeen (17) Police Regional Offices nationwide which
correspond to the Regional subdivisions of the country. Directly under the Police Regional Offices are
seventeen (17) Regional Public Safety Battalions (RPSB), eighty (80) Police Provincial Offices which
correspond to the number of Provinces in the country and twenty (20) City Police Offices (CPOs) in highly
urbanized and independent cities , which are equivalent to a Provincial Police Office.

The Police Provincial Offices have their respective Provincial Public Safety Companies (PPSC) which is
utilized primarily for internal security operations (ISO). The number of platoons in a Provincial Public
Safety Company is dependent on the existing peace and order situation in the province concerned.

Finally, a total of 1,766 Police Stations are established nationwide and they are categorized as follows:
90 Component City Police Stations and 1,507 Municipal Police Stations under the Police Provincial
Offices, 131 Police Stations under the City Police Offices, and 38 Police Stations/City Police Stations in the
National Capital Regional Police Office which serve as the main operating arms of the PNP for the anti-
criminality campaign.

III. THE PNP RANK CLASSIFICATIONS:

The PNP also has a significant feature in line of its rank classifications. It adopts a different structure for
purposes of attaining a more efficient administration, supervision, and control as compared to the
Armed Forces.

These distinct considerations serve as bases for comparison between the ranks of the PNP and ranks of
AFP as presented in the table.

PNP Ranks AFP Ranks

Police Commissioned Officers Commissioned Office

Director General General

Deputy Director General Lieutenant General

Director Major General

Chief Superintendent Brigadier General

Senior Superintendent Colonel

Superintendent Lieutenant Colonel

Chief Inspector Major

Senior Inspector Captain

Inspector 1st and 2nd Lieutenant

Police Non-Commissioned Officers Non-Commissioned Officers

Senior Police Officer IV Master Sergeant

Senior Police Officer III Technical Sergeant

Senior Police Officer II Staff Sergeant

Senior Police Officer I Sergeant

Police Officer III Corporal

Police Officer II Private First Class

Police Officer I Private

IV. THE PNP LINKAGES WITH OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT ORGANIZATIONS

Domestically, the PNP is linked with the other law enforcement agencies through the National Law
Enforcement Coordinating Committee (NALECC). This body convenes regularly to foster cooperation and
coordination among all law enforcement agencies in the country.

It also supports several law enforcement agencies like the Philippine Center for Transnational Crimes
(PCTC) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

It is also linked with the International Enforcement Community thru the INTERPOL, with the head of the
PCTC as the Secretariat, and the Chief PNP as the Chief of the National Central Bureau and a member of
the ASEAN Chiefs of Police or ASEANPOL, and a partner of the United Nations Center for International
Crime Prevention (UNCICP).

V. THE PNP RELATIONSHIP WITH THE AFP

The PNP and AFP complement each other on their pursuit to suppress insurgency, and other serious
threats to national security and in times of national emergency prescribed pursuant to Section 12 of
Republic Act 8551.

Consequently there are also governing relationships between them as follows:

The PNP enforces laws and ordinances and performs statutory functions while the AFP exercises primary
responsibility on matters involving suppression of insurgency and other serious threats to national
security.

The PNP provides assistance to the AFP in insurgency – affected areas while the AFP is also responsible
for the integrated territorial defense system.

The PNP assists the AFP for the dispositive action on arrested, captured or surrendered insurgent within
the prescribed reglementary period.

The PNP provides assistance to the AFP in the arrest of suspected insurgents with standing warrants of
arrest, and

The PNP and the AFP maintain close intelligence coordination and exchanges and share each other’s
accomplishments of their respective mission and functions.