"One crooked cop is one too many."
"One crooked cop is one too many."
Why is it taking so long for President Duterte to appoint a permanent head of the Philippine National Police?
News reports said he postponed making such a decision after PNP Chief Police General Oscar Albayalde went on non-duty status ahead of his retirement in November last year. This was amid allegations that he protected “ninja cops," or police officers recycling prohibited drugs, years back when he was still the Pampanga provincial director.
Duterte has instead appointed Police Lieutenant General Archie Gamboa, who used to be the second in command of Albayalde, as officer-in-charge of the PNP.
This January, Duterte still could not make up his mind and designated Interior Secretary Eduardo Año as overseer of the PNP, with marching orders to institute the necessary reforms in the organization.
Duterte has said he is still looking for someone who is really competent and honest to lead the PNP. Año himself had recommended three names for the top police post, but Duterte refrained from designating anyone as permanent Chief, PNP.
If Duterte has been hesitant in appointing a permanent head of the police, we can conclude that he isn't ready to put his trust in the three names submitted to him as possible replacements. It is likely he wants more time to search for the right man with the requisite competence and honesty, rather than mere seniority, for the top police post.
A competent and honest PNP chief, if Duterte indeed finds one, should have the resolve to implement meaningful reforms in the 150,000-strong institution tasked with maintaining peace and order throughout the country.
He should be able to ferret out misfits and scalawags, whether they are ordinary policemen or high-ranking officials, and mete out the proper disciplinary move if they are found guilty of criminal activities and violations of the rules.
Meantime, Año will have his hands full in fighting corruption in the PNP.
It is good to know that since July 2016, the PNP has already dismissed from the service a total of 3,280 police officers due to various grave offenses such as kidnapping, extortion and involvement in the illegal drug trade. Among them are 467 policemen who were kicked out of the PNP for drug-related offenses.
To be fair, we believe there are many honest and upright cops who uphold the PNP motto of "to serve and protect." In so doing, they deserve the badges they wear and bring honor to the institution.
But it is also true that there are a handful in the 150,000-strong organization who live double lives and engage in wrongdoing and illegal activities while trying to appear clean and honest. They deserve to be booted out to preserve the integrity of the entire institution.
While Interior Secretary Año exercises overall supervision over the PNP as Duterte's alter ego and as part of his concurrent capacity as chairman of the National Police Commission, he leaves the day-to-day running of the organization to OIC Gamboa.
“I will just closely supervise the organization and institute reforms that will improve further its efficiency and effectiveness,” Año said recently.
We will have to wait and see if Gamboa is later appointed as permanent PNP Chief. Año had previously recommended Gamboa, police deputy chief for operations Lt. Gen. Camilo Pancratius Cascolan and chief of the directorial staff Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar as the next PNP chief. But it appears that Duterte has chosen to closely monitor the performance of the three contenders for the top police post, specifically in the anti-drug campaign and internal cleansing programs, before he makes a decision on the matter.
The permanent Chief, PNP should be able to assert his leadership over an organization whose image and credibility depends heavily on its performance. Part of the reform process that should be put in place should include setting higher standards for new applicants and reviewing the training program to weed out those likely to pose a problem to the police force if given the power to make life-and death decisions once they are issued a badge and a firearm.
The police leadership should also set an example of honesty and hard work to the rank-and-file. Despite higher salaries and more benefits for the police since 2016, some cops choose to stray from the straight and narrow path and even engage in illegal activities. One crooked cop is one too many for an organization that is there precisely to keep the citizenry safe and secure whether in their homes and workplaces and out in the streets.
ernhil@yahoo.com