Gen. Debold Sinas, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), vowed to promote more female police officers in a bid to provide equal opportunity in a male-dominated organization.

(Photo by Juan Carlo de Vela / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Currently, 17.81 percent of the population of the more than 215,000 members of the PNP are composed of policewomen. In the Officer Corps, female Police Commissioned Officers are only at 15.33 percent.
“I am leveling the playing field for placement of Police commissioned officers to key positions by providing equal opportunities for women,” said Sinas.
“In fact, we are empowering more women to take on command assignments that traditionally have been the domain of their male counterparts,” he added.
It was Sinas who approved the all-female police station in Maria town of Siquijor when he was still the regional director of Central Visayas.
He also appointed the first female chief of police in Metro Manila, Col. Angela Rejano of the Malabon City police, when he was the director of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO).
The first female officer who became a District Director in Metro Manila was then Brig. Gen. Lina Sarmiento. But she was replaced a few weeks later due to intense lobbying of a police official to get the Eastern Police District police leadership.
Sarmiento was also the first two-star general in the PNP.
In the past year, women’s groups have been calling for more women in both the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
“In all aspects of command administration, from recruitment, selection, promotion and placement, gender equality will be given premium and due consideration for seniority, merit and competence shall be strictly observed,” said Sinas.