ILOILO City – Knowing how to drive could soon become a basic requirement for police service nationwide as the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) moves to ensure that patrol vehicles and motorcycles do not sit idle simply because officers cannot operate them.
Here on a visit yesterday, Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the department plans to issue a memorandum circular in 2027 requiring police personnel to be capable of driving both motorcycles and four-wheeled vehicles, arguing that mobility is essential to effective law enforcement and emergency response.
“We will issue a memorandum circular this 2027. Surprising, right? Not all police officers know how to drive. So we have to change that,” Remulla said.
“Not only motorcycles, but four-wheel vehicles as well. All of them should know how to drive,” he added.
Remulla disclosed the planned policy as guest of honor and speaker at the turnover and blessing of 20 Unified 911 Emergency Response Motorcycles for Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) on Wednesday, September 9.
The DILG chief said providing police units with additional vehicles would have limited impact if personnel assigned to them lacked the basic skills to operate the equipment.
“It hinders performance when they do not know how to drive,” Remulla said.
He cited his experience as governor of Cavite, where the provincial government provided hundreds of vehicles to police but discovered that many officers could not drive them.
“I provided 800 cars. There were 2,000 policemen, but only 800 knew how to drive,” Remulla said.
The problem became more apparent during nighttime operations, when a shortage of qualified drivers effectively immobilized some police vehicles.
“So at night, nobody could drive the vehicles. They were not moving,” he said.
Authorities eventually had the police personnel trained to drive.
“So we had them taught how to drive. It should be the same throughout the Philippines. Police officers should know how to drive,” Remulla said.
The proposed requirement comes as the DILG and Philippine National Police (PNP) continue to strengthen police mobility and emergency response capabilities through the deployment of additional vehicles and motorcycles.
During Wednesday’s ceremony, 20 Unified 911 Emergency Response Motorcycles were formally turned over and blessed for deployment in Western Visayas.
Remulla said the motorcycles are intended to enable police personnel to reach emergencies faster, particularly in areas where maneuverability and rapid response are critical.
PNP chief Police General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. and DILG Undersecretary for Public Safety Jed Patrick Mabilog attended the event along with personnel from the PNP and Bureau of Fire Protection.
PRO-6 director Police Brigadier General Randulf Tuaño said the motorcycles would be deployed to major tourist destinations and other strategic areas, particularly under the Aklan Police Provincial Office and Iloilo City Police Office.
The deployment is expected to improve police mobility in areas with heavy tourist activity and significant movement of people.
For Remulla, however, expanding the police vehicle fleet must go hand in hand with ensuring that officers are capable of using it.
“That is why we need to change this. If we are giving them vehicles, they should also have the capability to use them,” he said.
“Whether it is a motorcycle or a four-wheel vehicle, they should know how to drive,” Remulla added.
The DILG is expected to finalize the guidelines before issuing the memorandum circular in 2027, which would establish driving proficiency as part of the requirements or standards for police personnel./PN
