EDITORIAL - Locked out

It’s not just the military but the Philippine National Police that must be insulated from partisan politics. The PNP was created partly for this reason, to prevent local government executives from turning their police forces into their own private armies. As recent events in Bacoor, Cavite show, however, there’s still a long way to go before the ideal can be achieved.

Reports said Bacoor Mayor Jessie Castillo padlocked the town’s police headquarters Wednesday night to prevent the replacement of the police chief with another officer believed to be loyal to the mayor’s political rival. Castillo, an ally of President Arroyo, also ordered the recall of all patrol vehicles, two-way radios and other equipment given by the town government to the local police, which is headed by Chief Inspector Alex Borja. Bacoor cops were forced to continue working outside their headquarters.

Castillo reportedly suspected that Borja’s relief had been sought by Sen. Bong Revilla, whose younger brother plans to run against Castillo’s wife Minerva for the mayor’s post in May. Revilla denied any hand in the planned relief.

Yesterday Castillo was stripped of his powers over the local police and authorities moved to restore normal police operations in the town. Authorities are still assessing the proper charges to be filed against the mayor. They should also determine whether Borja himself sought the mayor’s assistance to prevent his relief, even to the extent of locking out his entire force. How can a police force allow itself to be locked out of its own headquarters?

The situation in Bacoor is extreme, but such dramas are being played out in varying degrees across the country as the midterm elections approach. Long after the Marcos dictatorship showed the perils of allowing politicians to use the uniformed services for partisan political purposes, the situation persists. Every minor progress in insulating the military from partisan politics is quickly reversed. And the events in Bacoor dramatize the equally tough problem facing the national police.