THE PHILIPPINE National Police will have 168 new personnel after the graduates of the PNP’s 2021 Lateral Entry Program took an oath of office before PNP chief Guillermo Eleazar on Thursday.

The Lateral Entry Program for technical service officers is among the regular sources of Police Commissioned Officers aside from the cadetship program in the PNP Academy.

The new commissioned officers include four lawyers and two doctors who received an initial rank of captain. They will receive a basic monthly salary of P56, 582 plus allowances.

Also inducted were dentists, optometrist, psychologists, nurses, pharmacists, medical technologists, radiologic technologists, chemists, nutritionists, engineers, forensic criminologists, architects and IT officers.

They were appointed as lieutenants and each will receive a basic monthly salary of P49,528 plus allowance and other cash and non-cash benefits.

Eleazar said the 168 newly appointed police commissioned officers were formally turned over to the Directorate for Human Resource and Doctrine Development to undergo the mandatory Officers’ Basic Course and Field Training Program before reporting to their respective unit assignments.

“Your achievement today defines your moral courage and strong determination to achieve your goal. From amongst hundreds of applicants who tried to take their chance, PNP has chosen you as the best among the rest, because our community deserves nothing but the best police service from us,” the PNP chief said.

“Lagi ninyong isapuso at isaisip na ang ranggo meron kayo ngayon ay may kakabit na pananagutan sa mamamayang Pilipino na panatilihin ang kaayusan, itaguyod ang karapatang pantao at wakasan ang kriminalidad at mga pangaabuso sa bansa,” he added.