Manila, Philippines- A bill calling for the modernization of the Philippine National Police (PNP) is now being pushed in the Senate.

In Senate Bill No. 910, Senate President Pro Tempore Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada said there is a need to modernize the national police and transform it into an organization that is at par with international standards.

“Public safety management is a reciprocal endeavor. While government policy demands the delivery of basic services from the PNP, there is an equally important obligation of government to lay down the framework and mechanism by which this may be done,” Estrada explained in the bill.

“Thus, there is a need to modernize the PNP transforming it into an organization at par with the world’s best. This can be achieved by having a PNP that is well equipped, well-trained and pro-active to the demands of modern society,” he stressed.

The PNP leadership recently came under fire for the hostage-taking fiasco initiated by one of its men, former police officer Rolando Mendoza, who was dismissed from the police force.

During a Senate hearing into the incident, the lack of equipment and training were seen as one of the major factors the rescue attempt failed.

Because of the incident, the Philippines tourism industry suffered and the government’s relationship with China and Hong Kong became strained.

“Thus, this measure will basically lay down the framework for the modernization of the Philippine National Police and will focus on several aspects such as organizational development, crime prevention and control doctrines development, human resource development, internal security and counter-insurgency capability development,” Estrada said.