Women recruits rising; WCPDs continue to serve women and children

If in the past people find it tough and hard to enter a police station due to the perceived strictness and discipline inside, now these two important segments of our population can relax, smile and approach any police station in their city or municipality. As posted many times now, the department under the leadership of Secretary Ronnie Puno has made sure that they can now easily take advantage of the services offered by the police stations, thanks to the Women and Children Protection Desks or the WCPD.

The establishment of these desks in every station is in part a requirement for the Magna Carta of Women that was passed and signed by President Arroyo. But it should be noted that even before the passage of this act, the Department of Interior and Local Government has been doing all it can in order to make sure that women and children in our communities are well protected, and their rights are safeguarded. Aside from Secretary Puno’s job in the department, the secretary is also in charge of the Napolcom and the Philippine National Police is administratively under his direction, so he has a say on the programs and the direction of the police force. This program that ensures that there will be friendly desks on every police station is a serious program of the department and it is the intent of the secretary to properly implement the said program. And as a testament to this, the secretary make sure that the Magna Carta Laws will call for the establishment of these friendly desks in more than 46,000 barangays in the country. Secretary Puno believes that by establishing centers and desks like these, then abused women and troubled children in the communities can easily find help and assistance in these centers and desks. Those in need of help and assistance will feel confident inside these stations since the stations and the desks have that homey feel and atmosphere.

And finally, the good thing about this project of the department is that the women police officers are starting to occupy the positions. For the first half of 2008, PNP hired 3,499 recruits and 462 are women thus women make up 13.2 percent of these recruits.