YEARENDER: PNP faces the good, the bad and the ugly in 2013

MANILA, Philippines - It was a roller-coaster ride for the Philippine National Police (PNP) in 2013 as it had to deal with abusive and incompetent members and bask in public adulation at the same time for achievements including its role in assisting victims of recent disasters.

“The performance of the police force in 2013 is good. We have done so many things (in terms of) transformation programs,” said PNP chief Director General Alan Purisima. He said the police force remains committed to improving the peace and order situation in the country this year.

The PNP chief is spearheading a transformation program in the police force dubbed Serbisyong Makatotohanan (true service).

The past year began on a bloody note when a stray bullet hit and killed seven-year-old Stephanie Nicole Ella in Caloocan City. The victim and her family were outside their home watching the New Year’s Eve revelry when a bullet from nowhere hit Nicole. The shooter remains unidentified.

A week later on Jan. 6 in Atimonan in Quezon, 13 men lay dead after a reported shootout with policemen. The incident was initially thought to be an accomplishment for the PNP against guns-for-hire.

But after an autopsy on the victims’ corpses, it became clear that only one of them had managed to shoot back at the group of policemen and military personnel. Authorities would later rule the incident a “rubout.” 

Investigation would later show that Superintendent Hansel Marantan, the head of the police operation, had planned the incident to eliminate Vic Siman, an emerging rival in the illegal gambling business. Marantan insisted it was “a legitimate police operation.”

Another group of policemen raided the house of Siman’s aide, who ended up dead in San Juan, Batangas a few days after the Atimonan rubout.

Purisima relieved all police officers involved in the incidents. The Department of Justice (DOJ) recommended the filing of multiple murder charges against the suspects.     

In the middle of the year, police recaptured Ozamiz robbery group leader Ricky “Kambal” Cadavero and his trusted aide Wilfredo “Kulot” Panogalinga Jr. Both Cadavero and Panogalinga were jail escapees tagged in numerous robbery cases and assassinations.

The two were said to have helped Chinese drug lords Wang Li Na (alias Jackson Dy), his wife Li Lan Yan, and Li Tian Hua escape from detention in Cavite.

After his recapture, police said Cadavero helped recapture the Chinese couple in their hideout in San Juan.

Cadavero and Panogalinga were later killed by policemen after allegedly trying to escape while on their way back to jail after an inquest.

The recapture of Jackson Dy and his wife also took another twist after arresting officers were accused of pocketing some 80 kilos of shabu and P20 million in cash from the couple.

While the PNP was busy with the Cadavero case, a blast rocked a commercial center in Cagayan de Oro City, killing eight and wounding 40 others.

Further tarnishing the image of the PNP were more reports of policemen in Metro Manila getting involved in extortion, robbery, rape and named protectors of criminals.

As if the negative reports were not enough, a survey conducted recently by Transparency International showed that a majority of Filipinos perceived policemen as the most corrupt in the government.

In the face of criticism, Purisima said they remain committed to transforming the police force into capable, efficient and effective public servants.

“We sympathize with the victims and their families but along with our sympathies is our strong condemnation and concrete action to bring the perpetrators to justice and prevent these attackers from striking again,” Purisima said in a press conference.

Purisima said he understands the public’s frustration but that he won’t hesitate to punish scalawags. The PNP chief said he had relieved 56 policemen involved in crimes to prove PNP’s commitment to weed its ranks of misfits.

The PNP chief also ordered the relief of almost 40 police chiefs for under reporting crime statistics. Doctoring police blotters, he said, is an attack on PNP’s “Serbisyong Makatotohanan” commitment.

“They should not be imitated by other policemen,” the PNP chief said of erring officers.

Purisima’s resolve to purge the PNP of scalawags was acknowledged by no less than President Aquino in his State of the Nation Address.

“We know what happened to the Ozamiz robbery gang leaders who were caught, only to be killed. As with our investigation of the Atimonan massacre, we will ensure that those at fault will be held accountable – regardless of their rank,” Aquino said. “Whoever masterminded all of this: prepare yourselves. I am close to learning who you are.”

Heroes

Despite the bad press, the PNP has enough heroes in its ranks to boost the morale of its members. Aquino cited three of them in his SONA last July.

One of those cited in Aquino’s speech was policewoman Police Officer 3 Edlyn Arbo who bravely fought and arrested a jeepney robber in April, despite having wounds in the leg and hand. Another police officer, PO3 Felipe Moncatar, was cited for arresting several criminals despite not being issued a service firearm. He was relying for protection on a used 9mm pistol that he bought.

Police Officer 2 Dondon Sultan was cited for assisting a motorist in distress and turning down a P1,000 “thank-you gift.”

President Aquino said the three cops were proof that honest and capable policemen were not an endangered species. He instructed Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin to ensure that those in the uniformed services like Arbo, Moncatar, and Sultan reap just rewards.

With much expected from police officers, the PNP leadership said it is striving to give them needed equipment, training and benefits.

In June, President Aquino personally led the distribution of 74,879 brand new units of 9mm Glock 17 Generation 4 pistols to policemen. Purisima said the delivery of the weapons was completed in December.

The PNP, meanwhile, drew plaudits for the generally peaceful local and national elections in May and the barangay elections in October.

In the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda, many policemen from Metro Manila and nearby provinces were deployed to Visayas to help maintain peace and order.

The PNP has also initiated a program to help police officers affected by Yolanda to get back on their feet.

The President had also ordered the immediate completion of housing projects for policemen and soldiers as government’s way of thanking them for their service.

Purisima said he would use social media to get feedback from the people on what should be improved in the PNP.

“We are negotiating with network providers to be able to get a hotline for every region. The people can send us messages through email, Facebook, and Twitter,” he said.

Last year, the PNP initiated its CODE-P which stands for competence, organization development, discipline, excellence and professionalism in the police force.

The CODE-P program was meant to establish a credible, efficient, effective and capable police force.

Purisima reiterated his call to the public to help the police force in promoting peace in the community by reporting even petty crimes like snatching and pickpockets.

“I appeal to the Filipino people to renew our tried and tested partnership to fight this evil. Community involvement is essential in the fight against crime. Your information is essential no matter how small it is,” Purisima said.