FULL TEXT: PNP chief Oscar Albayalde’s inaugural speech

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FULL TEXT: PNP chief Oscar Albayalde’s inaugural speech
'I do not expect your loyalty to me, but I will exact obedience from you. I may be tough, but I am fair,' Director General Oscar Albayalde says as he addresses the 180,000-strong Philippine police force

MANILA, Philippines – Director General Oscar Albayalde is now the new chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

During the PNP Change of Command ceremony held at Camp Crame on Thursday, April 19, Albayalde officially replaced his military academy classmate, former PNP chief retired Director General Ronald dela Rosa.

In his first speech as PNP chief, Albayalde gave a glimpse of what will be PNP’s thrusts under his term: the anti-illegal drugs campaign, internal cleansing programs, teamwork, and high-standard policing.

Read his full speech below:

Acknowledgment

I would like to begin by expressing my heartfelt gratitude to the Almighty God for giving me this opportunity to serve our country and fellowmen as the 22nd Chief of the Philippine National Police.

To the President, Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte, Sir, I am truly humbled by your trust and faith in me. On this new task that you have entrusted me I commit that under my watch, the PNP will work side by side with you to help fulfill your promise of genuine change for the Filipino people, and of a more disciplined and better police force. I stand before you today as a willing and able enforcer of discipline and reform in the PNP. This is my commitment to you Mr. President and to the Filipino people.

To the OIC DILG Undersecretary Eduardo Año, Sir. Thank you for your endorsement and for having the confidence that I can do this job.

To my Mistah, Chief, PNP, Police Director General Ronald M Dela Rosa. Thank you for trusting me to continue what you have started. I may not be able to fill your big shoes but I can assure you that I do my best to carry on your advocacies; to fulfill the promise of the Philippine National Police of bringing peace to the country shaping a better future for the generations to come.

To Team NCRPO, thank you for the support you have given me as Regional Director for the last twenty months. You have helped me better understand the dynamics of policing in the Metro. Then, it was Team-NCRPO…Now it will be Team-PNP!

To the public, thank you for your trust and support to the PNP. Ipagpapatuloy ko po ang lahat ng nasimulan natin sa NCRPO, gagawin ko po ang lahat ng aking makakaya para mapabuti at mapalakas natin ang ating bansa sa aspeto ng kapayapaan. At sa tulong ninyo, makakamit natin ito. Para sa mas ligtas na Pilipinas!

To my wife Cherrylyn, I would not be where I am today without your untiring love and care, support, and understanding…thank you very much!

My children, Kevin, Kenneth, Kendrick and Carlyn Nicole, you are always my inspiration, source of my strength, joy and peace of mind.

To my parents…you made me who I am now.

Introduction

Ang sinimulang laban ng PNP sa pangunguna ng ating Chief, PNP PDG Ronald M Dela Rosa sa pagsugpo ng kriminalidad at iligal na droga ay malayo na ang narating. Bumaba na rin ang krimen sa ating bansa alinsunod sa kautusan ng ating mahal na Pangulo. Kaya naman sa aking pagpapatuloy sa tungkulin bilang inyong bagong pinuno ng Pambansang Pulisya ay aking titiyakin na ipagpagtuloy ang magandang simula tungo sa pagkamit ng pinangakong pagbabago ng ating mahal na Pangulo – ang maranasan ng bawat Pilipino ang tunay na kapayapaan kung saan ang bawat isa ay malayang makapamuhay, makapagnegosyo at makapagtrabaho sa mapayapa at maunlad na pamayanan, at higit sa lahat ang bawat isa ay ligtas sa anumang krimen at karahasan na sanhi ng iligal na droga at lipunang kurap at mapang-abuso.

For almost two years as Regional Director of the National Capital Region Police Office, the efforts of Team-NCRPO resulted to remarkable accomplishments in bringing down the crime rate in the Metro; in convincing thousands of illegal drug personalities to surrender to the authorities and have their life changed; in arresting great numbers of illegal drugs suspects who refuse to surrender and continued their illegal activities; in neutralizing criminals and groups of syndicates; in weeding out numbers of erring policemen; in imposing stricter internal discipline and ethics building program; in strengthening public engagement by encouraging the public to be involved in different police-community programs and activities.

Today, as I humbly accept this new responsibility to lead the PNP, I shall commit to continue my low-key but stern kind of leadership. I will scale up the thrusts of the NCRPO to also be the thrusts of the PNP. We will focus on imposing strict discipline, reform and internal cleansing; intensified campaign against criminality and illegal drugs; practical program for crime prevention and suppression; and strengthen public engagement.

 

Strict discipline and internal cleansing

We shall impose and breathe discipline 24/7 and implement reforms in all levels in the PNP. First, we will show respect both to ourselves and to the public. Because genuine public service I believe is anchored on respect. Self-respect is what guide our morals as individuals and our collaborative action as an organization – we wear our uniforms properly and with pride, we do not sleep while we are on duty, and we do not betray our oath of office by engaging in illegal activities. If we want to win the trust of the Filipino people who pays our salary – which the President doubled recently – we will serve with all honesty, honor and integrity.

Ipatutupad din natin ang mga pagsasanay na tututok sa paghubog ng disiplina sa bawat pulis. We will standardize equipage, training to our personnel, and build better facilities, including bigger detention cells in our police stations. All our recruits and new officers shall be required to undergo standard SAF training before they get deployed in the different regions.

Sa parehong bigat, ipapatupad rin natin ang pagbibigay ng karampatang pagkilala at gantimpala sa mga pulis na gumagawa ng tama at kabayanihan and provide legal assistance to officers who have been charged in court in connection with the performance of their duties.

Intensified campaign vs criminality and illegal drugs

Our President commits to the Filipino not to stop the war against illegal drugs and criminality until the last drug supplier, trader, coddler, and pusher will be put behind bars. In the same manner, I, as the Chief, PNP together with the Team PNP commits to work relentlessly to help the President fulfill his commitment to the Filipino people.

We will carry on the programs of the previous leadership particularly the Oplan Double Barrel, because continuity is important to maintain the momentum of our accomplishments and gains, but we will reform those programs that need to be more responsive to our existing situation. We will not relent on our war against illegal drugs and other forms of criminality. 

The drug menace, we must all understand is a worldwide phenomena, hence, we shall endeavor to strengthen our cooperation with our local and international counterparts. We will help and support each other to fight and win this war.

Working as a team

And finally, we will work together as a team. From building Team NCRPO to establishing Team PNP. My principles of teamwork are the same. I will lead by example. I will not demand of you what I cannot demand of myself. I will be with you in the frontlines. Our roles and accountabilities will be clear at all times. As much as I enjoy conducting surprise inspections, I may not be able to reach all of our 2,766 police stations nationwide. So I expect our Provincial and City Directors to conduct these surprise inspections to regularly assess the operational readiness of our forces on the ground. I will be accessible 24/7 and I expect all our commanders to be accessible anytime of the day too. 

I shall set high expectations for performance, but I will be fair and just. We shall seek to put the right person at the right position and for this purpose, we will strengthen the oversight committee which will regularly evaluate the performance of all commanders on the ground, including Regional Directors.

 

Concluding remarks

In conclusion, I would like to thank once again our President, Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte, OIC SILG Usec Eduardo M Año and CPNP Ronald dela Rosa for their support and confidence in me, and the Napolcom commissioners for their favorable endorsement to the President. I will not betray the trust and faith that you have given me.

To Team NCRPO, mabuhay kayo. Thank you for heeding my call and rising to the challenge of making Metro Manila the showcase of the change which the President promised.

To our friends from the media, thank you for your fair and balanced coverage while I was at NCRPO. Sana, ipagpatuloy natin ang ganoong pakikitungo sa isa’t isa. I will need your help in information dissemination and getting feedback on the PNP’s performance.

To my wife, Cherry, and children, Kevin, Kenneth, Kendrick, and Carlyn Nicole, thank you for your unconditional love and understanding. I know that the Lord will continue to guide and strengthen us as a family. We are grateful for this opportunity to serve His purposes for the PNP, even though it means less time for us to be together.

To my mistahs, I ask for your unconditional support.

Sa lahat po ng ating kapulisan sa buong Pilipinas, maraming salamat sa pagiging tapat ninyo sa serbisyo. Let us show respect and love for the PNP as our organization by delivering honest and genuine police service. I do not expect your loyalty to me, but I will exact obedience from you. I may be tough, but I am fair. Those who perform their jobs well will be rewarded. Those who betray their oaths and badges will be sanctioned.

At sa ating mga kababayan, maraming salamat po sa inyong pagtitiwala. And in all humility, I ask for your patience, support, and prayers.

May Almighty God continue to bless our country.

Thank you and good afternoon.

  Rappler.com 

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