2014

PNP MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 005-14

POLICIES, GUIDELINES AND PROCEDURES GOVERNING THE ENHANCEMENT OF THE PNP PRESENCE IN THE SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

1. References:

a. Command Memorandum Circular No. 14-13 dated April 2, 2013 re "Regulated Access to and Use of Social Networking Websites";

b. PNP Memorandum Circular No. 2011-001 dated January 1, 2011 re "Guidelines on Provisional Utilization of Social Networking Sites in Support to the PNP Mission";

c. PNP Memorandum Circular No. 2012-003 dated May 20, 2012 re "Policy Guidelines on Security Consciousness and Secrecy Discipline in the Recording, Uploading, Posting or Dissemination of Information via the Internet or through other Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Devices by the PNP Personnel";

d. PNP Memorandum Circular No. 2011-010 dated March 25, 2011 re "Guidelines on the Creation, Use and Maintenance of Websites at all levels of the PNP Organization";

e. PNP Memorandum Circular No. 2006-022 re "PNP Media Relations Policy"; and

f. Letter of Instruction No. 40/2012 dated October 8, 2012 re "PNP e-mail System."

2. Purpose:

To set the policies, guidelines, and procedures governing the Philippine National Police's (PNP) presence in the Social Networking Sites (SNS).

3. Situation:

With the advent of the World-Wide Web or commonly known as the web, the use of social media has been inevitable. Even in the Philippines, the use of social networking channels is so extensive that the country has been tagged as "The Social Networking Capital of the World." It has become part of Filipino cyber culture such that we are now being declared as the most active users based on the number of SNS. Filipino netizens (citizens using the internet) spend 5.5 hours on SNS and visit the same at least 26 times in a month. The largest age group using SNS, particularly Facebook — the top SNS being used — is from 18 to 34 years old. HCATEa

Despite the prevalence of this technology however, there is still difficulty or limitation in the access by the public of the communication platforms of the PNP. The PNP appears to have not fully utilized and taken advantage of the popularity of SNS as a vehicle in bringing its services closer and building cooperation with the people. As a result, the public somehow remains discouraged and hesitant in openly communicating with police authorities and in reporting the existence of lawlessness and crimes in their locality.

Taking into consideration the potency of social networks, along with the traditional media, in swaying public opinion and support, the presence of the PNP at the SNS particularly in Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Blogs, and the like to answer queries, comments, and suggestions of the general public and to provide them informative updates on the implementation of its programs and activities, is imperative.

Currently, several PNP offices/units have created and administered their own Facebook and Twitter Accounts for various purposes without however, making known to the public the official PNP Social Media Accounts where they could air their comments, complaints, and issues. Hence, the need to establish and institutionalize an avenue through which the police can advance its partnership with the community and subsequently communicate/disseminate vital information to the public, and get outright feedback from them as regards the services the PNP provides.

With the use of SNS, barriers between the PNP and the community will be lessened, if not eliminated and the presence of the PNP will be felt by the people at anytime of the day. It will persuade netizens to actively interact with the PNP on issues relating to public safety and anti-criminality campaigns. There will also be timely reporting of significant incidents that require immediate police intervention. Thus, response or action will also be swifter while ensuring the protection of the identity of reporters or informants.

4. Objectives:

a. To assist the different PNP Offices/Units in their information dissemination efforts;

b. To bridge the communication gap between the PNP and the community;

c. To widen the PNP social media network to reach a greater part of the community and facilitate quick response to their needs; and

d. To establish a fast and systematic circulation of PNP's significant accomplishments, photos, articles, and other information over the SNS regarding the following:

1) PNP frontline services requirements;

2) Information relating to police offices/units that provide assistance to the public (such as officials, organization, location, hotline numbers, and the like) and other police advisories (traffic advisories, PNP services, procedures on reporting of crime incidents, and the like);

3) Missing persons, suspects and wanted persons, and actions soliciting pertinent information from the community;

4) Police response or actions to disasters, natural calamities, complaints and calls for assistance, and other incidents;

5) Invitation to the public to actively participate in the community-relations program called "Peace Advocacy Program";

6) Projects and programs geared towards the promotion of the PNP and/or enhancement and protection of the image of the organization;

7) PNP P.A.T.R.O.L. Plan 2030; and

8) Added information for the PNP to assess its effectiveness in public service. ADSIaT

5. Definition of Terms:

a. Blog — is short for Web log. It is a web page that serves as a publicly accessible personal journal of an individual. Typically updated daily, blogs often reflect the personality of the author (http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/B/blog.html).

b. Facebook — is one of the prominent examples of social media. It is a popular free social networking website that allows registered users to create profiles, upload photos and video, send messages, and keep in touch with friends, family and colleagues (http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/social-media).

c. Facebook Account — is a personal timeline/account for individual non-commercial use. It represents an individual people and must be held under an individual name. You can follow Timelines to see public updates of people you're interested in but aren't friends with (http://www.facebook.com).

d. Facebook Page — is a public profile specifically created for businesses, brands, celebrities, causes, and other organizations. Unlike personal profiles, "Pages" do not gain "friends," but "fans", which are people who choose to "like" a "page". "Pages" are managed by administrators who have personal timelines (http://www.facebook.com).

e. Focal Person — refers to a Police Commissioned Officer (PCO)/Police Non-Commissioned Officer (PNCO) designated to perform the responsibilities of a Social Network Officer/Administrator in offices/units where there is no designated Public Information Office (PIO)/Police Community Relations (PCR) PCO/PNCO.

f. Internet Administrator — is an Information Technology (IT) expert preferably from the Information Technology Management Service (ITMS) (or a support staff knowledgeable in social networking in areas where there is no assigned IT officer) who manages the PNP's social networks, keeps networks operational, and monitors functions and operations within the network.

g. Netizen — is a combination of the English words Internet and citizen. It refers to a person who actively uses the Internet especially in a proper and responsible way (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/netizen).

h. PNP Social Media Accounts — refers to the Facebook Page and Twitter Account established and maintained by the PIO.

i. Social Media — refers to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks.

j. Social Media Account — refers to an established profile using a social media platform for the purpose of official social media use (http://www.qld.gov.au/web/social-media /policy-guidelines/guidelines/glossary.html).

k. Social Network Officer/Administrator — refers to the PIO/PCR PCO/PNCO designated to compose, among others, the unit/office Social Networking Team responsible in the filtering of "followers" or "fans"; uploading and tagging of photographs and linkages; providing social media reports concerning public safety and cyber security-related incidents; and updating and commenting on information involving issues concerning the PNP. It is also referred to as the Focal Person in offices/units where there is no assigned PIO/PCR PCO/PNCO (like in the case of P-Staff/D-Staff) designated to perform the above-said responsibilities.

l. Social Network Supervisor — refers to the PCO designated as team leader and who will compose, among others, the unit/office Social Networking Team primarily responsible in determining the data or information to be posted in the PNP Social Networking Sites, and directing/controlling the members of the team. CSEHcT

m. Social Networking Team — refers to a group of PNP personnel authorized to manage/administer the official PNP Facebook Page and Twitter Account and responsible in addressing issues and concerns posted by the public in the SNS.

n. Social Media Sites — refers to bookmarking and community sites wherein users can share links of anything that they are most interested. This could be websites as a whole, links of blogs or other web contents or articles and the likes. (http://www.promotefirst.com/resources/seo-glossary/).

o. Social Networks — are connections people make with one another.

p. Social Networking — refers to the use of internet-based social media programs to make connections with friends, family, classmates, customers and clients. Social networking can be done for social purposes, business purposes or both. The programs show the associations between individuals and facilitate the acquisition of new contacts (http://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/social-networking.asp).

q. Social Networking Site — is a tool that empowers more connections. It is the phrase used to describe any Web site that enables users to create public profiles within that Web site and form relationships with other users of the same Web site who access their profile. It can be used to describe community-based Web sites, online discussions forums, chatrooms and other social spaces online (http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/social_networking_site.html). 

r. Tweet — refers to an online posting or "micro-blog" created by a Twitter and is limited to 140 characters or less (http://www.techterms.com/).

s. Twitter — is another prominent example of social media. It is a free micro blogging service that allows registered members to broadcast short posts called "tweets". Twitter members can broadcast "tweets" and follow other users' "tweets" by using multiple platforms and devices (http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/social-media).

t. YouTube — is a popular free video-sharing Web site that lets registered users upload and share video clips online at the YouTube.com Web site (http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/Y/YouTube.html).

6. Policies and Guidelines:

a. In order to attain the purpose of this Memorandum Circular, the PNP shall adopt the Facebook Page and Twitter Account, established and currently being maintained by the PIO, and launch the same as the official PNP social media accounts;

b. The official PNP social media accounts shall be managed/administered solely by the Social Networking Team (SNT) which shall be created and placed under the PIO. The SNT shall function on a 24/7 basis under the supervision of the ODPCR through PIO;

c. The PNP Facebook Page and Twitter Account shall be linked with each other in order to cover a wider audience;

d. The Facebook Page will be used as the main dissemination tool which will be linked to that of the Chief, PNP's Twitter Account. Though Filipino will be the primary language to be used in the project, comments and queries in English and other dialects shall also be entertained and addressed;

e. The Twitter shall be the main avenue to contact prominent people, media, celebrities and people from all walks of life. This is also the way to post real time situations and updates regarding activities of the PNP; EIAHcC

f. The official PNP Facebook Page and Twitter Account shall be used only by authorized PNP personnel and solely for the purpose of disseminating and gathering information, communicating and interacting with the audience on-line and in real time to serve the public and promote the PNP Organization;

g. SNS shall be used as a law enforcement tool, among others, by alerting the public on evolving situations in order to disseminate pertinent information, prevent criminal activity, improve tactics, and ultimately enhance and protect the image of the PNP;

h. The use of SNS shall at all times be limited to the real intent and objectives of this Memorandum Circular;

i. The Command Group shall use the Official PNP Facebook Page managed by the PIO. Other PNP offices/units (Personal Staff, Directorial Staff, National Support Units [NSUs], Police Regional Offices [PROs], Police Provincial Offices [PPOs], City Police Stations [CPOs], and Municipal Police Stations [MPs]) shall create a Facebook Page and a Twitter Account under the name of said office/unit. For purposes of standardization, the PNP Logo shall be used as the cover photo while the unit seal, as the profile picture. Likewise, they shall use their respective email accounts designated by the ODICTM;

j. The creation of a PNP social media page/account shall be done primarily to promote the PNP organization and not the individual PNP personnel. Henceforth, Facebook Page, Twitter Account, and other social media accounts shall be created using the name of the office/unit itself;

k. Use of personal Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites during office hours shall be strictly prohibited as it distracts and hampers the productivity of personnel;

l. PNP offices/units with existing Facebook Accounts shall convert the same to Facebook Page for purposes of conforming to the Facebook terms and uniformity among PNP offices/units, while retaining their current "friends" or "audiences" or "followers";

m. The PIO shall be the official source of "public information" for and on behalf of the PNP Organization/Command Group. However, there shall be a designated SNT in every PNP office/unit that will be composed of the following:

1) For the P-Staff/D-Staff:

Executive Officer/CS	-	Supervisor
Designated Focal Person	-	Social Network Officer/Administrator
IT Officer	-	Internet Administrator

2) For the NSUs:

Chief of Staff	-	Supervisor
PIO/PCR PCO/PNCO	-	Social Network Officer/Administrator
IT Officer	-	Internet Administrator

3) For the PROs:

Regional Chief of Staff	-	Supervisor
PIO/PCR PCO/PNCO	-	Social Network Officer/Administrator
IT Officer	-	Internet Administrator

4) For the PPOs/CPOs:

DPDA/DCOPA	-	Supervisor
PIO/PCR PCO/PNCO	-	Social Network Officer/Administrator
IT Officer/Support Staff	-	Internet Administrator

5) For the CPSs/MPSs: cTEICD

Deputy COP	-	Supervisor
PIO/PCR PCO/PNCO	-	Social Network Officer/Administrator
IT Officer/Support Staff	-	Internet Administrator

 

n. PNP personnel shall strictly observe cyber-etiquette at all times and adhere to reference 1.c. above (PNP Memorandum Circular Nr. 2012-003 dated May 20, 2012 re "Policy Guidelines on Security Consciousness and Secrecy Discipline in the Recording, Uploading, Posting or Dissemination of Information via the Internet or through other Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Devices by the PNP Personnel") and other related rules and regulations;

o. Posting of blogs, articles, replies to comments, answers to queries, and actions to complaints/issues raised by the public in the PNP social media accounts shall be done solely by the designated Social Network Officer/Administrator with the approval of the SNT Supervisor, as the former is acting in the name of the PNP office/unit he/she represents;

p. SNT shall refrain from publishing classified matters/information about the PNP organization in the SNS so as not to compromise the personal circumstances, tasks, projects, and operations of operating offices/units, thereby, protecting the lives of concerned PNP personnel and stakeholders;

q. SNT of the PNP social media accounts/pages shall follow anyone who posts comments or tweets that are of interest to the PNP and/or strategically follow those who act, in any way, to increase the PNP's exposure to the community. On the contrary, they shall report and block spam followers in coordination with other administrators. They should not block genuine followers;

r. SNT shall maintain analytical statistics as a tool for evaluating effectiveness in the implementation of this Memorandum Circular;

s. PNP personnel with existing personal account are prohibited from using PNP logo/seal or any symbol attributing to the PNP organization as their cover photo or profile picture in their personal social media account;

t. PNP personnel who have personal views and opinions expressed in any social media sites shall use a disclaimer (example: "The views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of the PNP"); and

u. PNP personnel shall observe the basic principles in using social media that is, being credible, consistent, responsive, integrated, and legal.

7. Procedures:

a. For purposes of facilitating information dissemination, pertinent data shall be posted in the Official PNP Facebook Page and Twitter Account by the SNT-PIO (PNP-NHQ) upon determination by the SNT Supervisor and approval of the ODPCR through the PIO with consideration on the safety and security of concerned PNP personnel and stakeholders;

b. Important Facebook "posts" and "tweets" shall be alerted through short messaging system (SMS)/text blast. Designated SNT or administrators of Facebook Page and Twitter Account in the PROs shall be alerted through SMS/text blast so that they can immediately view post/s and "like" or "share" the same to the PPOs in their respective AORs and to their friends in the community. Similarly, SNT-PROs shall alert SNT-PPOs for the same purpose until the message reaches the MPS level; CIAcSa

c. For purposes of addressing queries and comments and/or providing quick response/action to the netizen's post/s, SNT who will first see the "post/s" or "tweets" from the public shall alert through SMS the concerned SNT of the PNP unit/office to whom the message is addressed; and

d. Significant issues posted by the public shall be acted upon accordingly by the SNT Administrator upon the approval of the SNT Supervisor of concerned PNP office/unit.

8. Tasks:

a. DPCR

1) Supervise the implementation of this Memorandum Circular;

2) Advise the Command Group on the implementation development of the Memorandum Circular;

3) Supervise the activities of the SNT-PIO down the line; and

4) Perform other tasks as directed.

b. DICTM

1) Coordinate with the ODPCR and the ITMS for the continuous enhancement of the project;

2) Provide technical support/advice to the ODPCR in the implementation of this Memorandum Circular;

3) Provide technical assistance to SNT-PIO and ensure coordination and linkage between the Official PNP Facebook Page and Twitter Account and other PNP offices/units Facebook Pages and Twitter Accounts; and

4) Perform other tasks as directed.

c. DC

1) Provide fund support; and

2) Perform other tasks as directed.

d. DL

1) Provide logistic support as needed; and

2) Perform other tasks as directed.

e. PCRG

1) Manage text blasting in coordination with PIO-SNT; and

2) Perform other tasks as directed.

f. PIO

1) OPR in the launching of the official PNP Facebook Page and Twitter Account;

2) Assist the ODPCR in the implementation of this Memorandum Circular;

3) Assist the ODPCR in the supervision of the activities of SNT-PIO down the line;

4) Design/approve the naming and creation of Office/Unit Social Media Accounts/Pages at all levels in coordination with ODICTM;

5) Supervise and control the creation of Facebook Page and Twitter Account by all PNP offices/units in coordination with the ODICTM; and

6) Perform other tasks as directed. HAICTD

g. ITMS

1) Provide internet administrators and technical assistance to all PNP offices/units in coordination with the ODICTM; and

2) Perform other tasks as directed.

h. ACG

1) Develop cyber security SOP on the use of social media; 

2) Conduct orientation-seminar to all designated SNTs prior to activation of each office/unit's social media pages/accounts;

3) Provide technical assistance in the implementation of this Memorandum Circular (as in the blocking of spam followers, and the like);

4) Provide cyber security measures/assistance in the operation of the PNP social media accounts;

5) Conduct internet-based investigation on all PNP social media accounts and other cybercrime incidents; and

6) Perform other tasks as directed.

i. LS

1) Provide legal assistance/guidance in the implementation of this Memorandum Circular; and

2) Perform other tasks as directed.

j. All Other D-Staff/NSUs

1) Formulate and submit IMPLAN to the PIO;

2) Issue office orders to designated members of SNTs;

3) Provide other administrative/technical support as needed; and

4) Perform other tasks as directed.

9. Coordinating Instructions:

a. All PNP offices/units shall submit their respective Facebook Pages and Twitter Accounts (to include the names, designations and contact numbers of their respective SNT members) through channels to the PIO NHQ-PNP for subsequent linking up with the official PNP Facebook Page and Twitter Account;

b. SNTs at all levels shall maintain contact with each other; and

c. Lateral and vertical coordination is encouraged.

10. Administrative Sanction:

Any violation of the provisions of this Memorandum Circular shall be dealt with administratively, with severe penalties, in accordance with the provisions of NAPOLCOM MC 2007-001 (Uniform Rules of Procedure before the Administrative Disciplinary Authorities and the Internal Affairs Service of the PNP), Republic Act 6713 (Rules Implementing the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees), and other applicable laws, rules and regulations.

11. Rescission:

All PNP issuances which are inconsistent with this Memorandum Circular are hereby rescinded and/or amended accordingly.

12. Effectivity:

This Memorandum Circular shall take effect after 15 days from the filing of a copy hereof at the University of the Philippines Law Center in consonance with Sections 3 and 4 of Chapter 2, Book VI of Executive Order No. 292, otherwise known as "The Revised Administrative Code of 1987," as amended. HSEcTC

 

(SGD.) ALAN LA MADRID PURISIMAPolice Director General

ANNEX A

 

Flow of Communication

 

ANNEX B

 

PNP Memorandum Circular No. 003-2012May 20, 2012