(LEA UNIT I) INTRODUCTION TO POLICING (L3) - REVISED
★LESSON 3: EVOLUTION OF THE PHILIPPINE POLICING SYSTEM★
•Prior The Spanish Regime, Philippines Has Already Have A Policing System. The Headman Or
Whoever The Head Of The Tribe Is The One Who Performs All The Jobs Of The Offices Of
What We Call Now The Chief Of Police, Prosecutor, And Judge And Jail Warden.
•A. SPANISH PERIOD•
•The Police Force Was Considered As Part Of The Military System By The Spanish
Government.
•The Locally Organized Police Forces,
Although Performing Civil Duties And Seemingly Created For The Sole Purpose Of Maintaining
Peace, Were In Fact Directly Commanded By The Colonial Military Government.
•Police Functions During The Spanish Regime Consisted Mainly In:
•a. The Suppression Of Brigandage By Patrolling Unsettled Areas.
•b. Enforcement Of Tax Collection, Including Church Revenues.
•c. Looking Into The Work And Movement Of The People.
★ORGANIZED POLICE FORCES DURING SPANISH REGIME★
1.)CARABINEROS DE SEGURIDAD PUBLICO (MOUNTED POLICE) – 1712.
•It Was Organized For The Purpose Of Carrying Out The Policies Of The Spanish Government.
•It Was Given The Special Commission As Custodian Of The Tobacco Monopoly.
•It Was Later Known As Cuerpo De Carabineros De Seguridad Publica By Virtue Of A Royal
Decree On December 20, 1842. Its Duties Became Police-Like And More General Including The
Prosecution Of Law Breakers, Maintenance Of Peace, Order, And Security And The Vigilance
On The Execution Of Laws And Ordinances Of Good Government.
•It Was Subsequently Given Limited Power To Discharge Specific Duties As Port, Harbour And
River Police.
2.)GUARDRILLEROS (JANUARY 8, 1836).
•A Body Of Rural Police Organized In Each Town Which Composed Of 5% Of The Able-Bodied
Male Inhabitants Of Each Town Or Province, Enlisted To Serve For 3 Years.
•The Duties Of This Local Police Were:
a. To Make Patrol And Carry Mails At Times.
b. To Guard Dark And Unsafe Places.
c. To Guard The Tribunal And Prison Houses.
3.)GUARDIA CIVIL (FEBRUARY 12, 1852).
•It Partially Relieved The Spanish Peninsula Troops Of Their Works In Policing Towns.
•It Consisted Of A Body Of Filipino Policemen Organized Originally In Each Of The Provincial
Capitals Of The Central Provinces Of Luzon Under The Alcalde (Governor).
•B. AMERICAN OCCUPATION UNTIL WORLD WAR II BROKE OUT•
1.)INSULAR POLICE FORCE (NOVEMBER 30, 1890).
•It Was Established During The Filipino – American War (1898 - 1901) Upon The
Recommendation Of The Philippine Commission To The Secretary Of War.
2.)INSULAR CONSTABULARY (JULY 18, 1901).
•It Was Created By Virtue Of Act No. 175 Otherwise Known As “An Act Providing For The
Organization And Government Of An Insular Constabulary”.
•The Members Were Declared Peace Officers And Were Authorized And Empowered To
Prevent And Suppress Brigandage, Unlawful Assemblies, Riots, Insurrections And Other
Breaches Of The Peace And Violations Of Law.
•They Were Empowered To Make Arrests Upon Reasonable Suspicion Without Warrant For
Breaches Of The Peace Or Other Violations Of The Law, And Were Also Empowered And
Required To Execute Any Lawful Warrant Or Order Of Arrest Issued Against Any Person Or
Persons For Any Violation Of The Law To Issue A Warrant. Prisoners, With Or Without Warrant,
Shall In All Cases, Within 24 Hours If Reasonably Practicable, Be Brought Before A Judge Of
Justice Of The Peace Having Jurisdiction Over The Offense, For Examination And Release
After Bail, If The Offense Is Bailable.
•When In Pursuit Of Criminals The Provincial Inspection Of One Province In Charge Of Insular
Constabulary Is Authorized To Continue The Pursuit Beyond The Borders Of The Province In
Which He Has Ordinary Jurisdiction And Arrest The Offenders.
3.)MANILA POLICE DEPARTMENT (MPD) (JULY 31, 1901).
•It Was Organized By Virtue Of Act No. 183 Of The Philippine Commission.
•CAPT. GEORGE CURRY - He Is A U.S Army Officer Appointed By The TAFT Commission On
August 7, 1901 As The First Chief Of Police.
•CAPT. COLUMBUS PIATT - The Last American Chief Of Police (COP) Of MPD
Before World War II Broke Out.
•COL. ANTONIO C. TORRES - The First Filipino COP When MPD Became An All
Filipino Police Organization; Declared Manila As An Open City When World War
II Broke Out In 1941; During The World War II, MPD Was Placed Again Under The American
Control.
•COL. MARCUS ELLIS JONES - He Is A U.S Provost Marshall Who Was Named As
MPD Chief Of Police Just After The Manila Liberation.
•COL. LAMBERTO T. JAVALERA - The First Filipino COP Of MPD Appointed By Pres. Roxas
Under The Republic Government.
4.)PHILIPPINE CONSTABULARY (OCTOBER 3, 1901).
•Insular Constabulary Was Changed To Philippine Constabulary By Virtue Of Act No 255.
•CAPT. HENRY T. ALLEN - The First Chief Of The Philippine Constabulary From 1901 - 1907
Such That He Was Called As The Father Of Constabulary In The Philippines.
•It Was Mostly Manned By Filipinos But Officers Were Mostly Americans.
•Based On Revised Administrative Code Of 1917, Specifically Section 825, It Stated That The
Philippine Constabulary Is A National Police Institution For Preserving The Peace, Keeping
Order And Enforcing The Law.
•BRIG/GEN. RAFAEL CRAME - The First Filipino Chief Of Police And He Served As The PC
Chief From Year 1917 - 1927.
•C. JAPANESE OCCUPATION•
1.)KEMPEITAI.
•It Is A Japanese Military Police Held Responsible In Maintaining Peace And Order In Manila
And Adjacent Urban Areas.
•It Ruled The Urban Areas Until General Douglas McArthur Returned On February 7, 1945.
•The Kempeitai Was The Military Police Force Administered By The Japanese War Ministry
During WWII Over The Occupied Territories Of Japan. Specially Trained In Interrogation
Methods, Its Task Was To Crush All Resistance To Military Rule And It Had Powers To Arrest
And Extract Information From Civilians And Military Alike.
•METHODS OF INTERROGATION•
•Those Arrested By The Kempeitai Were Presumed Guilty And Had Little Option For Receiving
Civilian Help And No Appeal For Clemency. Should They Be Released From One Kempeitai
Branch, They Could Be Re-Arrested By Another Soon After.
•The Kempeitai Officer Was Police Investigator, Prosecutor, Judge, Jury And Executioner. Often,
Long Quiet Sessions Of Interrogation Would Be Used As Long As The Kempeitai Received The
Required Answers. If These Were Not Forthcoming, The Kempeitai Would Use Various Brutal
Methods Of Interrogation To Extract A Confession Of Guilt.
•Tortures Were Executed To The Limit Of Human Endurance Or To The Point Of Death With
Survivors Attesting To These Various Methods.
(A.) WATER TORTURE.
•The Victim Was Tied Up And Laid Flat On The Ground. Water Was Forced Through The Mouth
And Nose Until The Victim's Stomach Became Distended, After Which The Interrogators Would
Jump On The Victim's Stomach To Force Out The Water, Until The Victim Lost Consciousness.
(B.) BURNING AND ELECTRIC SHOCKS.
•'Live' Electric Wires, Candles, Lighted Cigarettes, Boiling Oil Or Water Were Applied To
Sensitive Parts Of The Victim's Body.
(C.) BREAKING FINGERS.
•Sticks Were Placed Between The Victim's Fingers And Squeezed, Fracturing The Bones.
(D.) TEARING OUT FINGERNAILS AND TOENAILS.
•Toothpicks Were Inserted Under The Nails Before They Were Torn Out By Pliers.
(E.) EARDRUM PIERCING.
•The Sharp Ends Of Pencils Were Inserted Into The Victim's Ears Until They Pierced The
Victim's Eardrums.
(F.) BODY SUSPENSION.
•The Victim's Body Was Suspended By The Wrists Or Neck Or Hung Upside Down By The
Legs. Interrogators Would Then Pull The Victim's Limbs From Their Sockets.
2.)METROPOLITAN CONSTABULARY.
•It Was Under The Bureau Of Constabulary.
•It Was Formerly Known As Manila Police Department During The American Occupation.
•D. AFTER THE AMERICAN OCCUPATION IN THE PHILIPPINES•
•REPUBLIC ACT (RA) NO. 4864 (SEPTEMBER 18, 1966) - Otherwise Known As The Police
Act Of 1966, Created The Police Commission (POLCOM) As A Supervisory Agency To Oversee
The.
•PRESIDENTIAL DECREE (PD) NO. 421 (1974) - Integrated The City/Municipal Police Force,
The Jail And Fire Departments Within The Greater Manila Area Headed By The Commanding
General, Philippine Constabulary Metropolitan Command (PC Metrocom).
•PRESIDENTIAL DECREE (PD) NO. 765 (AUGUST 8, 1975) - PD 765 Is Otherwise Known As
The Integration Law 1976. The First To Occupy The Position As Chief, Philippine
Constabulary/Director General, Integrated National Police Is Fidel Valdez Ramos.
•PRESIDENTIAL DECREE (PD) NO. 1184 (AUGUST 26, 1977) - It Is Otherwise Known As
“The Integrated National Police Personnel Professionalization Act Of 1977”.
•REPUBLIC ACT (RA) NO. 6975 - Known As The “Department Of The Interior And Local
Government Act Of 1990.”
•It Created The PNP, Bureau Of Jail Management And Penology (BJMP), Bureau Of Fire
Protection (BFP) And Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC) PNP Powers And Functions.
(a) Enforce All Laws And Ordinances Relative To The Protection Of Lives And Properties;
(b) Maintain Peace And Order And Take All Necessary Steps To Ensure Public Safety;
(c) Investigate And Prevent Crimes, Effect The Arrest Of Criminal Offenders, Bring
Offenders To Justice And Assist In Their Prosecution;
(d) Exercise The General Powers To Make Arrest, Search And Seizure In Accordance
With The Constitution And Pertinent Laws;
(e) Detain An Arrested Person For A Period Not Beyond What Is Prescribed By Law, Informing
The Person So Detained Of All His Rights Under The Constitution;
(f) Issue Licenses For The Possession Of Firearms And Explosives In Accordance With Law;
(g) Supervise And Control The Training And Operations Of Security Agencies And Issue
Licenses To Operate Security Agencies, And To Security Guards And Private Detectives, For
The Practice Of Their Professions; And
(h) Perform Such Other Duties And Exercise All Other Functions As May Be Provided By Law.
•REPUBLIC ACT (RA) NO. 8551 - Known As The "Philippine National Police Reform And
Reorganization Act Of 1998."
•It Relieved The DILG And The PNP Of The Primary Responsibilty On Matters Involving
Suppression Of Insurgency, Except In Cases Where The President Shall Call On The PNP To
Support The AFP In Combat Operations.
•REPUBLIC ACT (RA) NO. 9708 (AUGUST 12, 2009) - An Act Extending For Five (5) Years
The Reglementary Period For Complying With The Minimum Educational Qualification For
Appointment To The Philippine National Police (PNP) And Adjusting The Promotion System.