Editorial - Let honor fall where honor is due

The tragedy that befell rookie police officer Noriel Luage diminishes us all, and not only in some figurative sense. It is as if, literally, a rib has been snatched violently from our side.

That is because Luage was one police officer who held a lot of promise --- young, brave, dedicated. He was a decorated man in uniform, on the way to becoming perhaps one of the few exceptions in a service that has been so tarnished over time.

That tragedy is cruel is an understatement. Words cannot express our anguish at a fate that, in the morning, would have Luage receive a decoration for meritorious service, and then in the afternoon of the same day, would have him killed by a criminal in the line of duty.

Luage was serving a warrant on a known handler of hired killers when the latter resisted and opened fire. Luage fell lifeless, and with him fell the promise of not just a fine career but, more importantly, a potential saving grace in an increasingly graceless job.

What a severe loss the death of Luage was. It will be greatly missed by those who not only saw personal merit in him, but those who, against all odds, continue to believe and hang on to hope, that the credibility of the police force can still be swung around.

There is no dearth of people who are ready and willing to give the police the benefit of the doubt. In fact, the award Luage received just that morning before he was killed was bestowed on him by the honorable consul of the People's Republic of China.

But there is no use in crying over spilled milk. Life waits for no one, and everyone must move on --- this city, this community, even the police force. But as we move forward, let there be at least a token step taken in honor of a man who died with honor.

There are many ways in which the city, the community, and the police force can do to give the man such honor, even if posthumously. For once, at least after what seems like a very long time, let honor fall where honor is due.