Criminal investigation course to central luzon PNP investigators starts today

CAMP OLIVAS, San Fernando City, Pampanga February 16, 2011-A 45 day criminal investigation course will started today for the 359 police investigators coming from the provinces of Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales and the cities of Angeles and Olongapo to enhance the investigative knowledge and skills of the law enforcers.

Philippine National Police Regional Director PCSupt. Alan Purisima said that the training will be conducted in their respective provincial and city police offices, saying that the police in the region have 798 personnel assigned in various investigation units.

Purisima revealed that out of this figure, only 217 or 27 percent have formal training on investigation. (Jason de Asis)

:� H ; �Ϗ P͐ n:justify'>“The government could work out negotiations with other countries similar to the RP-Spain Transfer of Sentenced Persons Agreement, which aims to ensure the effective reformation and rehabilitation of Filipinos serving sentences in Spain since they will be afforded the opportunity to serve their sentences in the Philippines,” he said, adding that our OFWs serving long sentences and are awaiting death sentences in countries where no family can visit them.

“This is already a scourge to both the convicted and their families. The anguish of not being able to talk to or see their families forever is already a sentence that amounts to death," Escudero said, adding that the agreement should not be on a quid-pro-quo-basis, which means that all prisoners should be transferred to their country of origin regardless of the number of foreign nationals in Philippine prisons.

“There is a need to pursue this treaty,” Escudero said, since our countrymen are in foreign jails rather than the other way around.

Escudero said that the government should move on it but not to condone what their deeds are but because it is the government's duty to look after the welfare of its citizens no matter if they are guilty or not, reiterating that the government should make available remedies and steps be exhausted to assist our countrymen.

More than 3,000 Filipinos abroad who are either in detention or facing criminal prosecution according to the DFA records and 70 percent are embroiled in immigration-related offenses and will be deported after serving brief sentences while the rest are in custody for crimes such as theft and drug trafficking.

78 Filipinos are convicted for drug charges and awaiting death sentences in China.

There are 630 Filipinos currently serving jail sentences worldwide for transporting drugs who are mostly dummies for drug lords where sixty two percent of them are female according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. (Jason de Asis)