LTO bids and rewards

Land Transportation Office Chief Virginia Torres now has more than she can handle.

First it was her controversial appointment given her lack of “seniority” and experience. Then came the highly embarrassing and controversial Stradcom problem where the LTO boss found herself on national TV accused of taking sides in a corporate dispute and colluding with one faction.

Just when things were settling down, accusations started flying that LTO personnel were likely to be involved or working with the Dominguez carnapping syndicate. So once again, Virgie Torres will have to prove her critics wrong or search and destroy the corrupt and criminal LTO officials.

Apparently, Torres’ headaches are not about to ease up. My informants tell me that another controversy brewing in the LTO has to do with the “Biddings and paid endorsements for purposes of promotion”.

Unlike the endorsements for consumer products, the LTO type of endorsement has to do with payoffs or bribes being given to members of committees responsible for selecting and recommending LTO officials for promotion.

It seems that offices of the LTO have their own review board with the power to block or endorse the appointment or assignment of LTO officials in their area. So anyone who hopes to get a good assignment will have to be on the good side of the review committee.

Even former officials of the LTO confirmed that their sources have also reported ongoing biddings now in progress in certain LTO offices. Interested parties who are up for promotion or gunning for juicy positions have started to make offers or send money in the hope of becoming branch or district chiefs.

Someone who reportedly wants to become a hefe has offered as much as P500,000 to get the posting. When I investigated how a hefe could possibly get his money back, I learned from suppliers and business partners of the LTO that an incoming hefe gets commissions from smoke emissions tests, drug tests, medical tests, insurance premiums as well as personal transactions requiring the services of the LTO.

Aside from direct deals, there is a reported “weekly quota” on internal collectors amounting to an estimated P10,000 a week. So it does not surprise me if some LTO personnel find themselves entangled with carnapping syndicates. If your boss is directly demanding payoffs weekly, the only way you keep your job and have a future is to be part of the deal.

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After cracking the case of the carjack murders, the Philippine National Police has once again shown that they do solve crimes and capture criminals. Yesterday, the PNP announced that they now have the “lady courier” who delivered the deadly Christmas gift full of grenades that killed a housewife just after New Year.

So if they are that good, you might ask; why couldn’t they prevent the deaths and destruction that happened last Wednesday on EDSA?

Honestly, please don’t blame the PNP. It’s not their fault if they are spread so thin and with scant resources that they don’t even have enough gas to patrol their area of responsibility.

The real problem of the PNP is that they don’t have the necessary number of police officers in order to have a substantial and effective law enforcement presence all over the country especially in Metro Manila. They don’t have enough guns, ammo, radios and vehicles as required by the job.

Ideally we should either have enough warm bodies on the ground or at least compensate the lack of personnel by having the technical equipment or technology to monitor or pre-empt any criminal activity.

Sadly our government officials at the national and local level would rather spend billions of pesos on auxiliary amateurs and uniformed security guards to do what the police should be doing. Politicians have bastardized our system in order to create or strengthen their own little corrupt kingdoms with laws meant to create income opportunities through fines and corruption.

Local governments refuse to yield territory or authority to the PNP or the MMDA. Under the idiotic law on local government authority, we have allowed LGUs to have their own traffic enforcers, their own auxiliary amateur police force. Even the NAIA, the Bureau of Customs and the Philippine Ports Authority have their own amateur police force.

But the minute there are riots, demolitions or hostage situations all the locals run for cover with their tails between their legs. Then they call the MMDA or the Philippine National Police or the SWAT!

So now that we are going through a season of terror and violence, the people who should be blamed for weakening our nation’s law enforcement capabilities are the first to accuse the PNP of not being able to do their job! Wake up you hypocrites!

How dare they point an accusing finger at the police with the very same finger they use to count their pork barrel money that should have been used for a stronger and effective national police force.

I find it sick that the people who interfere in assignments, promotions and appropriations are the first to attack the PNP when a handful of scalawags stain the force. Before our politicians begin to harass the PNP about the recent crime waves, pray tell us what have you done to increase the number of PNP personnel?

What have you done to upgrade and increase the weapons and machinery needed by our police officers? Have you even said “Job Well Done!” to the PNP? If you have not contributed to inspire or improve the PNP, just SHUT UP!

Can we not have just one Philippine National Police? Can we put a stop to the adulteration of the word POLICE?