WHILE Interior Secretary Mar Roxas vowed to change lawmen’s image of “pulis patola” to “pulis panalo,” former Philippine National Police chief Panfilo Lacson reiterated his earlier declaration that the main problem of the PNP is the PNP itself.
Lacson, a career police official who was named PNP chief from 1999 to 2001, made the remark a day after President Benigno Aquino III again defended his PNP chief-buddy Alan Purisima, who was suspended by the Ombudsman over corruption charges.
Lacson, who was guest of honor during the 21st PNP Ethics Day celebration on Monday, was asked about what he thought was the PNP’s most pressing problem and he said he was asked the same question when he first became PNP director-general in 1999.
“When I was asked the same question, I answered without hesitation, without mental reservation that the problem of the PNP is the PNP,” said Lacson, who was elected senator twice after he became national police chief.
“There should be internal cleansing,” Lacson said. “There should be discipline and negative issues against the PNP, like mulcting, payola from gambling operators, so forth and so on, should be removed.”
The former senator said changing the image of the PNP was a big job that should not be taken lightly and he was only able to do so by implementing a “no take” policy that weeded out rogue cops and even ordering cops to maintain a 34-inch maximum waistline.
Lacson said restoring public trust in the police is a hard job that needs to be taken seriously and PNP officer-in-charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina was the right man for the job.
“I’m glad General Dindo (Espina) is here because, as I openly said earlier, he has the credibility to lead the Philippine National Police even in an OIC capacity,” Lacson said. “An OIC has the full powers of a PNP chief and six months is six months. He can do wonders.”
“The PNP is just waiting to be led properly,” Lacson said, hastening to add “I’m not saying that the previous one did not lead it properly. I’m not being judgmental. After all, the case is already with the Ombudsman and the logical conclusion will come from there.”
But Lacson said Espina is known to be a straight arrow who can instill discipline in the police force.
“This is a good opportunity for him to show the way, show leadership, leadership by example” Lacson said. “I think General Espina has the credibility to bank on. That’s important.”
Espina, who was present at the occasion, thanked Lacson for the vote of confidence and said he will try his best to restore public trust in the 150,000-man police force.
Also on Monday, Interior Secretary Roxas said he will upgrade the image of the PNP from that of “pulis patola” [literally, sponge gourd cop] to “pulis panalo” [winner cop] in 2015.
“We can no longer allow the PNP to operate ad hoc, in silos and sporadically. We need a programmatic, deliberate and sustained approach in fighting crime,” Roxas said.
Roxas said the PNP will install closed-circuit television cameras in police stations in 100 high-crime areas in Metro Manila starting this month while crime incident reports will be digitized beginning in March.
Between the second and third quarters of 2015, the PNP will also receive 1,000 new patrol vehicles, over 5,000 firearms and over 52,000 radios.
“We want our men and women in blue to move, shoot, and talk better so they can combat crime more effectively,” he said . “Rest assured that the PNP remains focused on their duty to serve and protect the people.”
But President Aquino said in an interview with comedian Vice Ganda that the public’s negative perception of the police force was not because of his friend, suspended PNP chief Alan Purisima.
“That negative image of the police force, that is not in character with how I know Alan,” Aquino said on the suspended PNP chief who was his bodyguard when he was attacked by mutinying soldiers when his mother was president in 1987.
“He arrested a lot and he defers to no one,” Aquino said of Purisima, who was suspended by the Ombudsman last month in connection with the administrative complaint involving the courier service contract between the PNP and Werfast documentary agency in 2011.
Aside from Purisima, the Ombudsman also suspended former chief of the Civil Security Group Gil Meneses and Chief Superintendents Raul Petrasanta, Napoleon Estilles, Senior Superintendents Allan Parreno, Eduardo Acierto and Melchor Reyes, Superintendent Lenbell Fabia, Chief Inspectors Sonia Calixto, Nelson Bautista and Ricardo Zapata and Senior Insp. Ford Tuazon.
Purisima is also the subject of a separate investigation over his alleged failure to declare some personal properties in the required statement of assets, liabilities and net worth.