“Why is it that Marantan almost always gets the difficult or suicide mission, but when controversies arise, the PNP hierarchy is not bold enough to defend their war dog?”
OFTEN said – and the attribution has been to many – that when the going gets tough, the tough get going.
Col. Hansel Marantan is one tough cop dreaded and hated by organized criminals, but also admired or envied by his colleagues because of his legendary exploits and derring-do attitude.
Now, Marantan is back in the saddle, or on a “hot seat,” with his new post as acting City Director of the Davao City Police Office.
It’s one place where former President Rodrigo Duterte, Vice President Sara Duterte and family hold sway — reading between the lines, you can make your conclusion.
A battle-scarred officer, Marantan set out for Davao City last week, vowing to “to serve and protect, perform his official duties according to what is right and just, and most importantly heeding what (his) conscience dictates: protect the mandate of the duly elected President.”
Marantan’s designation was issued by Maj. Gen. Sidney S. Hernia of the Directorate for Personnel and Records Management in an undated memorandum.
Law enforcement pundits viewed Marantan’s new designation as “more of a challenge than a trap, being in the proverbial “lion’s den” where he has to face political and public pressures.
Certain media men fondly call Marantan a “man of steel” owing to the titanium implants replacing certain parts of his body –52 metal screws, four bone plates and a replaced knee– after several clashes with armed criminals left him severely wounded in past major police operations.
Some analysts expected Marantan in the course of his new assignment to enforce the law and cause the arrest of fugitive Pastor Apollo Quiboloy.
Marantan’s track record speaks for himself.
During his stint as chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group for Metro Manila, Marantan led a team that enforced the search warrants on the home and land property of then fugitive Rep. Arnulfo Teves following the Negros Oriental massacre.
In 2008, Marantan solved the assassination case of Abra Rep. Luis Bersamin when he arrested the suspected instigator, then Abra Gov. Vicente Valera.
Also in 2008, Marantan led his men in neutralizing 30 armed men believed to be members of the “Kuratong Baleleng OGC,” a criminal group notorious for bank robberies and hostage-taking.
On account of his tenacious campaign against criminals and terrorists, Marantan was twice promoted on merits, and received from Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla the “PNP Medal of Valor” for his life-saving acts of bravery.
Now a full-fledged colonel ripe for a promotion, Marantan also holds an impressive educational record. After his graduation from high school as a seminarian at the Society of the Divine Word in Urdaneta City, Marantan pursued and earned a bachelor’s degree in arts and philosophy from the University of Santo Tomas, a master’s degree in public administration and doctorate in public administration with a dissertation focusing on explosives and counter terrorism.
(The colonel and I both hail from Pangasinan and that’s the common thread which connects us.)
Despite his legendary feats and well-grounded training, Marantan somehow felt being short-changed or deprived of what was due him and his men as “war-dogs” of the Philippine National Police, some of his sympathizers say.
“Of the 230,000- strong PNP, why is it that only Marantan is always given the difficult or suicide tasks, and when controversies arise, the PNP hierarchy is not bold enough to defend their war-dog,” a sympathizer lamented.
In some incidents, Marantan got sacked, even though the charges were based on mere insinuations. Meantime, his upperclassmen were busy lapping up every inch of pleasure in their juicy positions.
I have reviewed most of his assignments and there’s none that I can call a “bed of roses.”
Perhaps it’s high time the Palace or the PNP High Command granted this bemedaled officer a little premium in the officers’ line?
I don’t think I’m asking for the moon.
(The author served the Manila Standard for 33 years in various capacities from Reporter to Business Editor to Managing Editor until his retirement in 2021).
