PNP Crafts Crisis Guidelines

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) has crafted policy guidelines on effective handling of crisis situations, a month after the August 23 hostage-taking fiasco in Manila that placed the organization in bad light following the death of eight foreign tourists.

Senior Superintendent Agrimero Cruz, Jr., PNP spokesman, said the guidelines called Program of Instructions (POI) concentrate on synchronization of movements of police units that will respond on crisis situations like hostage-taking situations.

“We already have a draft, we are now finalizing it but we are ready to submit it if the higher authorities would ask for it,” said Cruz in an interview.

Aside from what he called synchronization of movements, Cruz said the POI also focused on the use of certain tactics that will be employed on crisis situations, table of organizations, the equipment that will be used, the operations that will be carried out like negotiations and assault, and the guidelines in the conduct of investigation.

The PNP, it was recalled, was criticized both at the local and international level for alleged mishandling of the August 23 hostage drama, from the way the negotiations were handled, crowd control and the alleged bungled rescue operations that left eight foreign tourists dead and seven others wounded.

But Cruz was quick to clarify that the POI is not designed to replace the existing guidelines on crisis management incidents, saying what they drafted is for special crisis situations like the August 23 incident.

“The POI is for the special operations unit. The crisis management (guidelines) will still be used by our local police units and local government units because this is sanctioned by the national government,” said Cruz.

By special operations unit, Cruz is referring to what was ordered by President Benigno S. Aquino III for the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to come up with a well-trained elite force that will serve as assault unit for hostage-taking and other national crisis situations.

Cruz explained that the POI will only be used when certain situations already call for the intervention of the national leaderships, like if there are already foreigners involved.

“Once we submit it, it is up to the higher authorities to decide if this will be used by the PNP or even on the AFP side. As far as we know, the AFP is also drafting its own guidelines so it is up to higher authorities which will be used, or if it would be a combination of both,” said Cruz.

Aaaron Recuenco, Manila Bulletin