KASAUP

Reprinted from The Philippine Star issue of April 20, 2009

Classmates & the wa-class

CTALK By Cito Beltran
Updated April 20, 2009 12:00 AM

The talk of the town over the weekend was certainly all about “Police brutality” and abuse of power in the Ted Failon case. The overwhelming sentiment in most gatherings was contempt and dislike for the Philippine National Police.

So after a couple of years earnestly trying to renew the image of the police through the “Mamang Pulis” campaign and the recent “Moral recovery” program under PNP Chief Jesus Verzosa, our beloved cops are worse off than ever before.

The situation can no longer be treated as public relations disaster.

The open display of power and authority, the total disregard for police procedure such as presenting a warrant of arrest and reading of the “Miranda rights” and the utter lack of civility and compassion on the part of the QCPD officers reveals yet again that many of our police officers are unfit and unworthy to wear the uniform of the PNP. It shows that the Police do not fully understand their purpose, their role and who they serve.

Coming from a series of bloody and abusive incidents such as the EDSA shootout where carnappers were gunned down as a video camera rolled, the multiple deaths of innocent civilians when cops tried to stop a gang of bank robbers in Paranaque, The arrest and harassment of media people during the Manila Peninsula siege among a few, all show that the PNP has a recurring professional and attitudinal defect that reveals incompetence, poor leadership and accountability.

In relieving four police officers because of their participation in the arrest of Failon’s in-law and helpers, the NCRPO leadership showed lack of integrity and collusion by exempting the QCPD-CIDU chief Franklin Mabanag from being relieved of duty. Was it because he was someone’s classmate?

Almost every radio program we monitored raised the same question: “why did Boysie Rosales protect Franklin Mabanag?” “Why was Mabanag not relieved or suspended?” “Why punish the team but not the leader?” So far Rosales has remained silent on this major error.

* * *

Why are our Police officials acting with such lack of respect, lack of self-control, and lack of personal discipline?

Watching the many replays of how the Police officers arrested the maids, driver and in-law of Ted Failon, it became clear to me that our policemen treats everyone they invite or arrest as GUILTY. Unless you are an official of the Arroyo administration, you are treated as a “COMMON CRIMINAL”. If you watched the videos, the cops acted as if they were hauling “demonstrators” or sidewalk vendors. The question is “WHY?”

Is it because the police have gotten so used to arresting anti-Arroyo demonstrators or critics based on warrantless arrests? Is it because the Police have been the private army of the Arroyo administration for almost ten years so they now believe they can arrest anybody in any manner they choose to do so?

The repeated sins of the PNP are not a simple matter of abuse of power. The sins and weakness of the PNP is what happens when a civilian organization is corrupted by two doctrines: the doctrine of the PMAers and the doctrine of a “civilian” police. The leaders of the PNP are trained for the military where leadership is about obedience to rank. So they do not believe in the doctrine of servant leadership, they believe that leaders should be served, feared and followed.
The PNP needs to review their academic program, they need to review their attitudinal frame of mind, and they must reflect on the long- term impact of their problems immediately. Otherwise, they may ultimately find themselves fighting off masses of people they swore to protect, in the streets or in the courts.

* * *

Whenever Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez starts mouthing off his views and opinions, reporters have a picnic quoting the guy, no matter how baseless, reckless, or incendiary his claims may be. Even some of Gonzalez’s enemies enjoy his existence because he is to them the personification or the flesh and blood that represents everything that is hated about the Arroyo administration.
When Broadcaster Ted Failon became the center of controversy in the suicide of his wife, the DOJ Secretary reportedly ordered that Failon be placed on the Immigration watch list, ordered the NBI to conduct a parallel investigation and berated the chief of the Public Attorney’s Office for extending assistance to Ted. Gonzalez must really love Ted Failon so much.

Persida Acosta never showed animosity or contempt for Gonzalez who acted like the Roman Centurion who gave vinegar instead of water to the crucified Christ. Acosta should be praised for being a Good Samaritan and being a dedicated lawyer doing her job.

Maybe the reason Acosta chose not to get angry was because Raul Gonzalez may have unwittingly placed Acosta in the limelight as a dedicated and competent public servant worthy of becoming the next Secretary of Justice!

Justice Secretary Persida Acosta 2010-…… sounds good to me.