P-Noy to Bartolome: Get kidnappers, carjackers

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino’s marching orders to newly installed Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Deputy Director General Nicanor Bartolome were clear: intensify the campaign against kidnappers, carjackers, and other criminal elements.

“I am calling on you to make it a personal advocacy to go after kidnappers, carnappers and other lawless elements of our society,” Aquino told Bartolome yesterday during turnover ceremonies held at the PNP headquarters at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

Aquino also expressed his full trust and confidence in Bartolome’s competence to carry on the reform programs implemented by his predecessor Director General Raul Bacalzo.

“Don’t ever fail the expectations of our boss (the people),” Aquino told the new PNP chief.

Bartolome, for his part, rallied the 140,000-strong national police force to “level up” with the changing times.

“There is now a need to level up to cope with the changing times. We shall now therefore develop competencies. We shall enhance individual skills. We shall specialize. We will give premium to investigation, resource management, and even disaster response,” Bartolome said in his inaugural speech.

Bartolome formally took over the helm of the police force from Bacalzo, who had retired ahead of his 56th birthday on Sept. 15.

Shortly after taking over, Bartolome’s first order of the day was for police chiefs nationwide to deploy a policeman in every barangay as part of the effort to bring the police closer to the people.

“The cooperation of the police and the community is an important factor in combating crime. So I’m ordering the deployment of a policeman in every barangay… the said policeman will act as the conduit between the community and his unit, with the guidance of his chief of police, he will plan and execute public services in coordination with barangay officials,” Bartolome said.

Observers expressed belief that it will be easy for Bartolome to improve the image of the PNP since he served as official spokesman for five different former police chiefs – Roberto Lastimoso, Panfilo Lacson (now a senator), Arturo Lomibao, Avelino Razon Jr. and Jesus Verzosa.

With his slogan Pulis Ako, Pulis Nyo Po, Bartolome vowed to be very accessible and approachable to policemen and to the community.

Bartolome said the PNP Directorate for Human Resource and Doctrine Development (DHRDD) would provide training for policemen in coordination with the PNP Directorate for Personnel and Records Management (DPRM).

Bartolome said the PNP under his leadership would continue developing rights-based policing, where every police station must adhere to the basic tenets of human rights and develop fully the human rights desk to strengthen police partnership with human rights advocates.

“Shortcuts are now things of the past, and our police operational procedures must plug loopholes,” Bartolome declared.

Lacson, on the other hand, advised Bartolome to revive his campaign on the physical fitness of police officers nationwide.

Lacson said there is an apparent need for Bartolome to implement again the physical fitness program, which he initiated and imposed during his administration in 1999 to 2001.

Lacson said he observed many policemen that attended the turnover ceremony have “beer bellies.”

Lacson expressed belief that Bartolome will not have difficulty implementing the physical fitness programs since he appeared to be fit.

To sustain the campaign against street crime, the new PNP chief tapped the DIDM to take the lead in improving the campaign against criminality.

“I believe that one criminal out of the street will afford citizens with sound sleep, I therefore will order a sustained campaign on accounting of wanted persons, service of warrants must be given due attention,” Bartolome added.

Bartolome said he would also see to it that the funds of the PNP are protected and ensure transparency and accountability.

He noted that all alleged irregularities in procurement of equipment are investigated and corrected and individuals, public and private, implicated in the anomalies are held accountable.

The PNP has been rocked by a series of scandals, highlighted by the purchase of helicopters that turned out to be secondhand.

“Discipline will remain a central focus of my leadership. We will be quick in giving rewards to deserving personnel and acknowledge their good deeds,” he said.

Bartolome, however, warned that the PNP would also be very strict in punishing the misfits and the undisciplined under his leadership.

“I do not hesitate to fire erring personnel. My heart bled before I signed the dismissal order of 70 personnel of the National Capital Regional Police Office when I was the regional director, but I had to do it, if only to maintain high degree of morality and professionalism,” he said.

Bartolome said there would be periodic performance rating to ensure only competent and effective police officers remain in their posts.

On the other hand, a bishop based in the south appealed to Bartolome to beef up police visibility there.

Tagbilaran Bishop Leonardo Medroso said he is hoping Bartolome would curb the incidents of violence in Mindanao.

Medroso said that he is aware that Bartolome would be facing several problems upon his assumption as the PNP’s top official and could only hope that Mindanao would not be forgotten.

“There are many challenges that the new PNP chief is facing and foremost is the peace and order situation, particularly in Mindanao such as kidnapping, rido (clan wars), bombings and other acts of violence,” he said.

Former Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, for his part, said he will not blame Bartolome if he would be unable to curb illegal gambling in the country since his superiors have been lax.

“I would not fault him because his own President is not against jueteng, the Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary (Jesse Robredo) is neither against jueteng. If his President is not against jueteng and the Secretary of the DILG, how could he afford to be against jueteng?”

No demoralization

Bartolome, 54, is the 17th chief of the 140,000-strong national police force. He will be at the helm of the PNP until his mandatory retirement in March 2013.

Bartolome’s appointment as PNP chief broke tradition as he went ahead of his seniors, Deputy Directors General Benjamin Delarmino and Raul Castaneda, the PNP deputy chief for operations.

Director Alfredo Caballes, chief of the PNP Directorate for Plans, downplayed any controversy regarding the appointment of Bartolome.

“Even if there were controversies, there were not much,” he said.

A police general, who requested anonymity, said the designation of Bartolome over senior police officers is no longer an issue, considering that they already knew the appointment was the President’s prerogative.

“I don’t think there is demoralization with those who were bypassed. They look at it with a degree of realism because let’s face it, it’s the President who decides who will be the next PNP chief,” he said.

The police officer said Bartolome is already ripe for the post, having served as one-star police general for a long time.

Bacalzo, for his part, stressed there was no demoralization over the appointment of Bartolome.

He said police officers are professionals and they know that choosing the PNP chief is the President’s prerogative.

“Besides, there was already a precedent, as in the case of Ping,” Bacalzo said, referring to Sen. Panfilo Lacson who was appointed PNP chief in 1998 by then President Joseph Estrada ahead of other more senior officers.

Bacalzo, it was gathered, had tendered his retirement from the service three years ago to spend more time with his family.

But the PNP leadership dissuaded him, according to his wife Levy.

At that time, Bacalzo was head of the PNP Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management.

“He asked me what he should do and I asked him what was his desire. When he said he was staying put, I said, ‘okay go ahead,” Mrs. Bacalzo said.

The wife said they had no inkling that two years later, he would be named PNP chief by President Aquino, replacing Jesus Verzosa.

“We had not talked about that possibility. In fact, we were so surprised when he got appointed,” she recalled.

Distinguished career

A member of the Philippine Military Academy Mapitagan Class of 1980, Bartolome served most of his junior years as a military field operator in Central Mindanao.

Fresh from the PMA as a young lieutenant, Bartolome saw action as platoon leader with the 54th Philippine Constabulary (PC) Battalion in Maguindanao and with the 441st PC Company in Lanao del Norte from 1980 to 1982, and later as executive officer of the 457th PC Company in North Cotabato, as intelligence and operations officer of the Cotabato Metrodiscom until 1984.

For two years in a row, 1983 and 1984, Bartolome was chosen PC Junior Officer of the Year in Central Mindanao and PC Junior Officer of the Year (nationwide) in 1985.

In all his 11 years of combat duty in Mindanao, Bartolome earned ten Military Merit Medals, seven Military Commendation Medals, 17 Medalya ng Kagalingan, a Bronze Cross Medal for bravery, two Medalya ng Kadakilaan for heroism, the Mindanao-Sulu Campaign Medal and the Anti-Dissident Campaign Medal.

Bartolome served as PNP spokesman and publicist to three PNP chiefs from 1999 to 2001 before assuming other staff assignments the next four years.

Born in Gerona, Tarlac on March 16, 1957, Bartolome is married to pathologist Dr. Noemia Bartolome of the Department of Health. They have two children, Nicar Noemi and Nicanor III.

Bartolome was teary eyed when he acknowledged his peers and elder police officers during the turnover ceremonies.

“Retired Master Sgt. Angel Dionga, retired Lt. Ballesteros, retired Lt. Fernandez, retired Sgt. Calungsad, and retired Sgt. Silva, they were with me during the campaign when I was still a young lieutenant in North Cotabato. If it were not for them, I wouldn’t be here,” said Bartolome, who had to pause several times during his speech to wipe his tears.

Although he was the youngest, Bartolome said he was then the platoon leader who had to make decisions for the group.

“There were many instances when my decisions as their commander changed because of their advise and because of their recommendations. And in the process, our group was saved and I will be forever thankful for that,” he said. – With Cecille Suerte Felipe, Evelyn Macairan, Manny Galvez