system. And as admitted by the police themselves, there have been more than 5,000 deaths in the course of police operations in the drug war.It is little known that Republic Act No. 6975, the same law that established the PNP, also provided for putting up the People’s Law Enforcement Board or PLEB in every town, city, and legislative district.
While there are other administrative disciplinary authorities over the police, including city or municipal mayors, chiefs of police or equivalent supervisors, provincial directors or equivalent supervisors, regional directors or equivalent supervisors, and chief of the PNP and the Napolcom, the PLEB has the most number offices within reach of the people, thus reducing the time, effort, and expenses of complainants and their witnesses.
The PLEB can ask any authorized supervisor for the preventive suspension of the respondent who refuses to heed the PLEB summons or subpoena, who has been charged with offenses involving bodily harm or grave threats, who is in a position to tamper with the evidence, and who can unduly influence the witnesses. The proceedings before the PLEB can be faster to finish because these are summary in nature, much like those in preliminary investigations of cases in the prosecutor’s office.
Yet as of today, the PLEB has not really been given the chance to fulfil its mandate as the administrative disciplinary machinery of the PNP. There are LGUs where the PLEBs are not properly organized and lack offices, personnel, and cooperation and coordination with the PNP. The public is not even aware of its existence or the importance of the role it plays in demanding accountability from the police.
Source: Law Daily Report (lawdailyreport.net)