‘While proof of guilt or innocence is frequently determined by the results of forensic evidence, the erstwhile PNP Crime Laboratory and its regional and provincial offices have not notched any remarkable dent in the solution of high-profile cases…’
THE Philippine National Police (PNP) has renamed the PNP Crime Laboratory, calling this unit now as the PNP Forensic Group.
PNP chief Gen. Dionardo Bernardo Carlos said the new name was adopted to give recognition to the organization’s forensic services. Carlos led the unveiling of the Forensic Group’s marker and new logo at Camp Crame, calling the event “a milestone of achievement” in modern forensic technology. The chief PNP also inaugurated the Forensic Group’s Gallery of vintage equipment, museum pieces that are better displayed to showcase to visitors how the personnel of the crime laboratory have managed to fulfill their mandate in the past with antiquated tools and equipment.
The PNP said in a statement that “the renaming of the PNP Crime Laboratory to PNP Forensic Group was intended to identify and align its nomenclature with that of Asian countries, which adopt the term ‘Forensic’ for their forensic services units.”
The Philippines is an active member of the Asian Forensic Science Network (AFSN) which was established in 2008.
The network is composed of law enforcement agencies from Asian countries and territories such as the Philippines, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. The change of name and logo, therefore, lends the unit some measure of professionalism and excellence in its work, if only as an embellishment.
The mission of the Forensic Group is to provide scientific investigation and technical support to the PNP offices, other investigative agencies and the public, through forensic examinations, fieldwork, scene of the crime operations, training and research.
Another aspect of the group’s work is to provide forensic science services to the criminal justice system. This function involves scientific testing methods and the latest technologies to collect, preserve, process, and analyze evidence. While proof of guilt or innocence is frequently determined by the results of forensic evidence, the erstwhile PNP Crime Laboratory and its regional and provincial offices have not notched any remarkable dent in the solution of high-profile cases, such as the Julian Ongpin case in La Union and PAL stewardess Christine Dacera’s death in Makati City.
So what’s in a name, we might ask the PNP chief. We can well accept the unit’s old nomenclature if its crime lab analysts and scientists can satisfactorily process pieces of evidence collected from crime scenes, and can work freely in the service of the truth while bucking pressure from politicians, vested interests and other corrupters.
