"Is the PNP serious in weeding out the bad eggs in the institution?"
"Is the PNP serious in weeding out the bad eggs in the institution?"
Good riddance. That's quite possibly the collective sentiment of law-abiding citizens in the wake of recent news reports that the Philippine National Police is serious in weeding out the bad eggs in the institution tasked with maintaining law and order.
According to Camp Crame, a total of 4,591 policemen have been dismissed from the service for involvement in various serious offenses, such as the illegal drugs trade. The dismissed policemen were among the 15,768 errant cops who have been meted out disciplinary action since 2016 as part of the internal cleansing in the police organization.
Among those dismissed from the service were 549 for drug-related cases, with 410 who tested positive for drug use while 139 were involved in illegal drug activities.
Aside from illegal drugs, other cases faced by wayward policemen were grave misconduct, serious neglect of duty, serious irregularity, malversation, dishonesty, and graft and corruption.
A total of 7,888 were suspended and 846 cops were demoted in rank. Another 608 personnel were penalized with forfeiture of salary, 119 were restricted to quarters, and privileges of 205 others were withheld.
But as a we've pointed out earlier, ferreting out the scalawags and misfits should just be one aspect of the cleansing drive.
The other important aspect, it seems to us, is to make it well-nigh impossible for the totally unqualified to sneak into the police force in the first place by making new applicants go through a rigorous selection process to determine their fitness for the job of law enforcement.
This would ensure that only those who can stand the rigors of the job and be able to refuse the temptation to get rich quick would be allowed to wear a police badge.
We're glad that the PNP has given assurances that its Internal Cleansing Program will not stop but rather continue to be implemented with greater zeal and commitment in the months ahead.
That's the right thing to do, because the reality is that the misfits in the institution consisting of no less than 209,00 men and women are not just a handful, since there are already 15,000 or so charged with various offenses since 2016.
Skyway Stage 3 still nearing completion
Motorists waiting for years on end for deliverance from horrible EDSA traffic were no doubt jumping with glee over the recent news report that the Skyway Stage 3 has been completed, as announced by Public Works Secretary Mark Villar and San Miguel Corporation chair Ramon Ang.
And who wouldn't be glad over the prospect of navigating the stretch from Buendia in Makati to the North Luzon Expressway in Balintawak in just 15 to 20 minutes, compared to at least an hour, perhaps two, along EDSA?
But we think the announcement of its completion must be clarified, as the latest update we've seen on YouTube as of October 12 only shows that the last girders have been installed on one or two remaining stretches of the elevated toll road.
Technically, of course, the Skyway is "complete" because all girders are in place. But there's a lot more work to be done in the finishing stage, such as construction of entry-exit ramps.
So would the Skyway Stage 3 be a Christmas gift to harassed motorists?
We don't think so, even if the construction pace is accelerated in the next two months, as there's still plenty of work to be done before motorists can traverse the entire length of the nearly 18-kilometer toll road.
Secretary Villar gloated in a Facebook post that "President Duterte fulfils promise to cut travel time from Makati to QC to only 15 to 20 minutes.”
But that's grossly inaccurate. Recall that Duterte promised not too long ago that he would cut travel time between Quezon City and Makati to just 5 minutes. What he didn't say was that you could traverse that route in five minutes only if you're riding in a state-of-the-art helicopter, not in a slow-moving car, bus or the MRT.
And, by the way, it would be a gross mistake as well to congratulate Duterte for the completion of the Skyway project as this was begun even way before 2016. Construction actually started in February 2014, during the PNoy administration, but was stalled by delays in resolving right-of-way issues.
Who should we thank for this project, apart from the construction firm that worked on it from start to finish?
Why, us taxpayers ourselves, as without the taxes we paid to the government, then this project would not have gotten off the ground in the first place.
ernhil@yahoo.com
