‘Cops paid lower than teachers’

Five thousand police retirees haven’t been getting their pensions, "becoming jobless at age 56," while many of the nation’s 130,000 policemen don’t receive the legally mandated basic pay which is supposed to be equivalent to the salaries of the "lowest paid" public school teachers.

That’s what the acting chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Deputy Director General Leandro Mendoza, told STAR publisher/chairman Max V. Soliven yesterday.

The PNP chief admitted that the police are being hampered in the fight against crime by their lack of personnel (based on three-hour active shifts, only one cop can be fielded per shift to protect 1.5 million persons).

Police Director (General) Rex "Abdulrashed" Piad Alhajj, his chief of staff, who accompanied Mendoza in a courtesy call on Soliven, said that the PNP has been asking for the additional P10 billion needed for a 100 percent increase in pay which would bring a cop’s pay to the same level as the "lowest paid" public school teachers, or about P8,000 to P9,000 per month. As it is, Piad Alhajj pointed out, police salaries are P3,000 "short" per month, which makes its toll on police morale.

Mendoza noted that the PNP, which operates nationwide, needs to recruit, train and field at least 10,000 additional policemen per year to barely cope with its activities as public guardians and crime fighters.

He pledged to field more foot patrols in Metro Manila and other urban centers as well as create more motorcycle units (not having anything to do with traffic duties, but charged with mobile surveillance of neighborhoods and quick response to crime scenes), which will enable cops to thread their way through gridlocked traffic and enhance their mobility.

Police Director (General) Rey Velasco, who was also present at the meeting, declared that the police arsenal of weapons would be beefed up, as well as radio and communications equipment. He asserted that he hoped funds would be made available for this task. It was further suggested that World War II US carbines, many of which have long been "mothballed" –remain in stock but are currently unused –be refurbished, refitted into three-burst firing mode, and assigned to rapid-reaction units to increase their tactical versatility.

PNP chief Larry Mendoza averred that the apparent increase in kidnappings, particularly of Chinese-Filipino traders and business operators, were possibly a ploy to "destabilize" the situation, but could also mean that the kidnap syndicates, which had been lying low recently, are testing the mettle and determination of the new government and the police forces. He vowed to deal with the situation resolutely.

Mendoza belongs to Class 1969 of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), and his Deputy Director General rank rates him three-stars. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the PMA as third in his class, graduated with honors for a Masters in Public Management from the UP-Visayas in Cebu City, and completed the General and Staff Course (GSC) in Fort Bonifacio, as topnotcher, in 1985.

Born in San Juan, Batangas, he served in various positions in government, both in the military and the civilian service, for instance as Executive Director, Philippine Center on Transnational Crime, from 1999 to his takeover of the PNP from his predecessor, PNP Director General Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, during the EDSA People Power Revolution. (Lacson is currently running for senator).

General Mendoza was president of the Philippine Military Academy Alumni Association (PMAAAI) from 1998 to 1999, and is chairman of the Association of Chiefs of Police of the Philippines (ACCPI), from 1998 to the present. He was deputy PNP chief for administration up to 1998 and Chief Directorial Staff 1995-1996. Experienced in the field, he served as provincial director (provincial commander) in Cebu, Rizal, Pangasinan and Bulacan, as well as regional commander of Region IV and Metro Manila. He also led the Special Action Force (SAF) as its commander.

He received, among his awards and decorations, the Distinguished Conduct Star, two Distinguished Service Medals, a Bronze Cross Medal, the Chief of Staff Award for graduating Number One at GSC, a Certificate of Academic Excellence for obtaining a grade of 95.59 in GSC, Class No. 21, and was a "university scholar" of the University of the Philippines.