EDITORIAL - Chief for three weeks

If President Arroyo is serious about her campaign against criminality, she’s sending out confusing signals. She has just appointed a new chief of the Philippine National Police, and has refused to say if she plans to extend his service. The clarification is crucial because Deputy Director Ge-neral Edgar Aglipay is set to bow out of service in three weeks, when he reaches the mandatory retirement of 56. What can a police officer – even one of Aglipay’s good track record – achieve in three weeks, especially in an organization as damaged as the PNP?

The President may enjoy keeping her appointees in tenterhooks, presumably so they will give their best in performing their duties. But a good leader can get good performance from her officials even if she doesn’t keep them guessing on their tenure. What the uncertainty over Aglipay’s service does is erode his control over an organization that is in dire need of discipline. Even before Aglipay can formally assume his post, PNP officers are already speculating on his likely successor, undermining implementation of his orders.

Malacañang has shrugged off criticism of the President’s revolving-door policy, pointing out that it has not done harm to either the PNP or the military. There is no definitive study to refute this, but it is reasonable to say that the policy has not helped the uniformed services either. Several military and police chiefs have stayed in their posts long enough only to renovate their offices. The inevitable speculation is that a number of them spend their final days in the service making hay while the sun shines rather than focusing on defense or law enforcement programs that their successor might discontinue anyway.

With criminality among the nation’s biggest problems, why do we have a PNP chief with just three weeks left in his service? Presidential prerogative has been invoked. If the President truly believes Aglipay deserves the top PNP post, she should end the uncertainty and announce that his service will be extended so he can perform his job well. Otherwise, his appointment as head of a vital organization for just three weeks betrays an administration that considers law enforcement a joke.