EDITORIAL — A cop’s life

For a job that requires putting one’s life on the line, the pay is so inadequate that police Senior Superintendent Joven Bocalbos had to augment his income by driving a taxi van when he was off-duty. Last Wednesday night, while driving his van along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City, five of his passengers announced a holdup. A cop is never really off-duty. Bocalbos drew his gun but was shot dead by the robbers.

Bocalbos, who was from a family of cops, had just been appointed deputy police chief of Makati. His need to take on two jobs to augment his income is not uncommon in the Philippine National Police, where the starting salary is just a little above the minimum wage. The dismal pay encourages corruption in the PNP. Other cops take on odd jobs, such as providing escort service at funerals. Some cops prefer to serve as politicians’ bodyguards because they are assured of extra pay. Still others start small businesses or, like Bocalbos, drive their own taxis in their free time.

The PNP has often been pilloried for corruption and incompetence. Considering the pay scales, the long hours and work-related risks in the police force, however, one has to love law enforcement to enter the service and remain in it. A study conducted by the Department of the Interior and Local Government last year showed that a large number of PNP members live below the poverty line. The ordinary cop lacks even the means to buy ammunition for regular practice in marksmanship.

The cop’s financial woes are felt all the way to his retirement. A recent report said members of the Government Service Insurance System are complaining of delays of up to three months now in the payment of their pensions through the Union Bank. The bank reportedly said no money has been deposited for the pensions. What is the GSIS doing with the money? If retired government workers are given a hard time before they can collect the pittance that they receive as pensions, it can only demoralize those still working for the government.

The ordinary cop cannot even think too far ahead, to his retirement. Like Bocalbos, the ordinary cop must do what he can to make ends meet, surviving from day to day even as he battles crime. And like Bocalbos, there are cops who do not survive long enough to reach retirement.