Panayam kay DILG Operations USec. Lord Villanueva
Panayam kay DILG Operations USec. Lord Villanueva
Transcript
00:00 The recruitment process for the former members of MILF and MNLF will continue.
00:07 We will discuss this with Undersecretary Lord Villanueva,
00:12 USEC for Operations of the Department of Interior and Local Government.
00:17 USEC Villanueva, good afternoon to you.
00:20 Good afternoon, John, Ninia, and first of all,
00:26 warm greetings to my former classmates in college,
00:31 the brilliant USEC Malaya.
00:35 Warm greetings. Good to see you again, sir.
00:38 Very nice to see you, USEC Lord.
00:40 For our countrymen to be more enlightened,
00:44 because the former members of MILF and MNLF who wanted to become police are now in their second batch,
00:51 what is the purpose and importance of this government program
00:56 where we are inviting the former rebels to join and become a member of our police force?
01:03 This program is very important.
01:08 And one example of the importance that this program gives
01:14 is the fact that this program was put in the BANGSA Moro Organic Law.
01:20 It is stated there that the Philippine National Police will recruit former members of the MILF and MNLF.
01:30 So this is seen as a key step in the peace process.
01:34 And we may add also that the standards are very high.
01:40 To be honest, out of 11,000 who applied so far,
01:45 only 100 so far have hurdled the recruitment process.
01:49 So rest assured, countrymen, that the standards are being closely adhered to in this recruitment process.
01:59 Okay. Hello, sir. This is Nina Corpus. I have a follow-up question.
02:04 When will the training of the first batch that you mentioned end?
02:10 And where is their training now?
02:13 Can you mention again how many applied and how many were selected?
02:18 Because we cut off earlier.
02:20 Yes. So around 11,000 applied and only around 178 were selected.
02:30 So the first batch, they're in the middle of a six-month training process.
02:36 And the second batch just started a few weeks ago.
02:42 And they hurdled the process. They will also undergo another six-month training process.
02:49 Okay. We're here, Usec, with the second batch of former members of the MILF.
02:58 How many applicants were selected here?
03:01 And how many were selected and advanced for the psychological and psychiatric exam?
03:09 Yes. Around 700 applied.
03:14 Those who passed, just a little less than 100.
03:20 So you can see again that the standards are quite strict.
03:25 There are physical tests, neuropsychiatric exam,
03:30 there's an interview process, character and background investigation.
03:36 So the requirements are very strict.
03:40 According to the report, sir, the applicants who passed the PPE from the first and second batch will be included.
03:50 What are the training and exam that these applicants will undergo before their oath-taking?
03:57 Yes. Well, first of all, I'd like to stress that this is a nameless and faceless recruitment process.
04:05 All applicants will be given a QR code.
04:09 And the QR code will be followed by them for the entire process.
04:14 So there are major steps in all.
04:17 First, there's the body mass index.
04:21 You will check if you're in the right weight.
04:24 There's a physics exam, which is push-ups, sit-ups, and a 3-kilometer run.
04:30 There's a psychological exam.
04:33 There's also a character investigation, background investigation, like what I mentioned earlier.
04:39 There's an interview, medical exam, and there's also a drug test.
04:45 So all of these must be hurdled.
04:49 And like what you said, seeing a passing rate of roughly 10, at most 20 percent.
04:57 So if we say that they're passing through the "Bukutas ng Karayong,"
05:03 it should rightly be so since they will be charged with the sacred duty of protecting public safety.
05:10 Okay, sir, is it possible to have a third batch of former MILF and MNLF members who want to become members of the Philippine National Police?
05:23 Also, a follow-up question, can the non-passing members apply again?
05:28 Because there are so many who want to apply.
05:31 Imagine you have 11,000 applicants and 700,000 applicants.
05:36 What will the non-passing members do?
05:39 Maybe there are other jobs for them?
05:42 Yes, well, first of all, there may be a batch.
05:50 Because the quota that the DBM gave us is around 400 recruits.
06:01 So possibly there will be a third batch to fill that quota of 400.
06:07 These non-passing members, if they retake the regulations of the PNP,
06:14 allow up to three times to try to attempt to hurt the government.
06:20 Now, if they really pass the PNP recruitment,
06:26 there are other available positions, for example, in the local government, farm government, or national government.
06:35 The government does not prohibit them from applying to other government agencies.
06:44 So all those options are available for our applicants.
06:51 Okay. Yusek, since we are talking about those who want to join, former rebels,
06:58 what are the current requirements for those who want to apply and become a member of the PNP?
07:05 And this is my follow-up question, since they are former rebels,
07:10 what if they have criminal cases pending in the courts?
07:14 Will this be a waste of time because we have an integration program in the PNP?
07:24 No, they will have to deal with those cases.
07:28 If they have cases, they should disclose them.
07:31 If they don't, they will be released for a background investigation.
07:36 So these people will not be released.
07:40 They should be clear on those cases before they are released.
07:45 Now, these applicants or recruits, their requirements are the same as any PNP officer,
08:03 except with age, weight, and rather with age and educational requirements.
08:09 In the weight requirement, there is a little leeway.
08:15 On these age and weight requirements, there is a little leeway.
08:21 On the educational requirements, there is a consideration given to complete the educational requirements
08:28 within 15 years after the service.
08:33 Aside from this program, what are the DILG's plans to continue the inclusive peace agenda of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.?
08:45 Well, when it comes to promoting peace in BARMM, there are just two basic words, economic development.
08:58 So, there are many other intergovernmental boards established by the National Government.
09:06 For example, there's the Intergovernmental Energy Board, there's Intergovernmental Boards on Sustainable Development.
09:18 So, the goal of our administration is to bring development, investment, and improvement to that region.
09:28 And in all of those initiatives, the DILG is the one to bring these economic initiatives down to the government level.
09:41 So, the DILG is looking at whether the councils and committees that are being discussed are correct
09:53 in each barangay council, in each municipal council, and at the provincial level as well.
10:00 They have various committees, such as ecological solid waste management committee, disaster plans, planning committees.
10:09 All of those are being followed by the DILG to ensure that they follow through on the plans and programs that need to be done.
10:20 And if they don't implement these, the DILG will hold their attention and we will try to exercise various means to make sure that they follow.
10:37 So, that's in a nutshell what the DILG is trying to assist with when it comes to our economic development, economic initiatives.
10:46 Okay, Usec, in other talks, we have a question from our media partner, Earl Tobias of IBC 13.
10:55 Just like the flooding that happened this weekend in the province of Edsa,
11:00 the flooding in Metro Manila and other provinces is becoming a common problem.
11:07 What is the DILG's plan to effectively address this problem?
11:13 I have a one-word answer for you, Nina, and that's discipline.
11:21 Discipline is what I think is lacking in our people now.
11:28 Now, the discipline is cleanliness.
11:32 So, the DILG established the Barangay Cleanup Day.
11:38 We had the launching just a month ago.
11:41 And we are trying to ensure that each barangay is responsible for its own area of responsibility.
11:52 So, for example, in the estuaries, we put a trash truck.
11:56 So, you can see there which part of the estuary has a lot of garbage.
12:05 And the barangay captain for that area will be held responsible accordingly.
12:11 So, that is the DILG's current trust.
12:16 Ensure that we bring discipline and cleanliness down to a level.
12:21 Usec, that's a good point of the DILG, to continue the "discipline first" campaign of our government.
12:29 Because most of us know that the DILG has a program.
12:34 So, Usec, the next question from Earl Tobias, after the EDSA was cleaned up,
12:41 the MMDA and DPWH this weekend reported that it was flooded because of the cement and other things that were stuck in our drainage systems.
12:55 What is the mandate of the DILG to monitor the implementation of RA 9003, which should prohibit the irresponsible disposal of garbage?
13:08 The DILG has a mandate to monitor that.
13:16 In the evidence of RA 9003, it says that the local governments are responsible to implement ecological solid waste management at the barangay level.
13:29 The DILG, as the local governments, has a heavy responsibility to ensure that this ecological solid waste management is carried out.
13:42 So, what is the example of these plans?
13:47 For example, each barangay should have a materials recovery facility in order to divide trash into biodegradable, non-biodegradable, and so on.
13:58 The barangay should have area coordinators to ensure that prop disposal is carried out in defined districts in each barangay.
14:10 All of these are monitored by the DILG.
14:15 If the officials do not follow the instructions and implementation, which is required under the law,
14:24 the goodsman could be charged for neglect of duty.
14:29 So, I hope we can reach that. But that is one example of how the DILG monitors the implementation of solid waste management.
14:41 Okay. One more question from Earl Tobias.
14:45 Aside from flooding, the effects of climate change on the unpredictable rain patterns that we are experiencing now are already severe.
14:55 How is the implementation of the Local Climate Change Action Plan that can address these issues?
15:03 Well, each local government is supposed to come up with its local climate action plan.
15:13 So far, according to our statistics, about 1,500 local governments have already submitted their local climate change action plan.
15:23 What exactly is this action plan?
15:26 So, under the law, there are three basic ways of responding to climate change.
15:33 That's adaptation, mitigation, and risk reduction.
15:37 Under adaptation, we have, for example, building seawalls, planting mangroves to reduce the risk of flooding, and so on.
15:46 Under mitigation, this refers to steps to prevent or further increase of carbon emissions, for example, bike lanes, reforestation, and so on.
16:00 And finally, under risk reduction, the third basic strategy to combat change,
16:07 we refer to various means to guard against disasters, for example, the training of our disaster management systems, alarm systems, and so on.
16:25 So all of these different strategies, different methods of adapting to change, our local governments are mandated to implement.
16:34 So again, the DILG is there to guard our local governments, to make sure they implement these plans, to come up with these plans, to implement them.
16:44 And if they don't do that, it's the role of DILG to call their attention to that and make sure that it's carried out.
16:54 Okay. Thank you very much for your time, Undersecretary Lord Villanueva of DILG.