(Eagle News) — Philippine National Police Chief Guillermo Eleazar is “seriously considering” proposals to subject police personnel to regular neuro-psychiatric tests.
Eleazar made the statement following a policeman’s killing of 52-year-old Lilybeth Valdez in Quezon City.
The PNP has said Police Master Sergeant Hensie Zinampan is facing criminal and administrative charges for the crime, which was caught on video now disseminated by some media outlets.
The incident came only months after Jonel Nuezca, then also a policeman, shot and killed his neighbors Sonia and Frank Anthony Gregorio in Paniqui, Tarlac.
“Personally, I acknowledge that there is really a need to prioritize this given the nature of our duty,” Eleazar said.
The PNP chief, however, acknowledged there were “limitations, at present, in our healthcare capacities and services.”
He said the PNP “will also assess if we could enter into partnerships with mental health institutions so that we can also take good care of the mental health of our personnel.”
Until then, though, he said police commanders who observe signs of emotional imbalance or mental disorder in police personnel “should immediately refer them for neuro-psychiatric evaluation, through their respective health units.”
“This way we can help them cope and heal and avoid being a danger to themselves and others,” he said.