Beware the whip of PNP Chief Bacalzo

The recent carnapping and killing incidents, the raiding and seizure of illegal drugs, the bus explosion in Makati, and reported threats of bombings keep the Philippine National Police (PNP) on their toes, their job being to maintain peace and order in the land. At the helm of peace-keeping efforts is PNP Chief, Police Director General Raul M. Bacalzo, who was appointed by President Aquino only four months ago.

At his swearing in, Bacalzo vowed to continue the PNP Integrated Transformation Program which his predecessors had initiated. “Continuity is the operative word,” he said. “And it is in this spirit that we define our agenda in the time we have.” To reach the transformation reform goal by 2030, he said three things must be kept in mind: correcting past institutional errors, discipline, and forceful action.

There is much to learn from the lessons of the service during its 109 years of existence, since it started as the Philippine Constabulary in 1901, then was changed to the Integrated National Police in 1975, then to the PNP in 1991. “Our successes and failures should inform our operations and shape our doctrines. And these in turn must be drilled into every policeman, from the first moment they don their uniform.”

To show his determination to bring reform down to the police station level, he sent the 23-strong police force of his small town of Tuy, Batangas, for immediate re-training. “It’s back to the basics now, we will not waste any time,” he said.

At a dinner with columnists, General Bacalzo said the theft of motor vehicles went down in 2010. He ordered the relief of the Bulacan police chief, Quezon City Police Department Station chief, and the Makati precinct commander over carnapping incidents in the areas.

To solve the Lozano-Evangelista murders, a PNP task force worked in 24/7 shifts, seized firearms, license plates and pieces of evidence in a raid on the house of suspected car theft ring leader Raymond Dominguez in Pampanga. Dominguez is now in police custody, which is working with government prosecutors for filing of charges against him.

Intensified police operations against criminal groups led to the recent arrest of the Onad carnapping/hijacking group in Barangay Paliparan 3, Dasmarinas, Cavite, by joint elements of the Cavite, Bataan and Pasay City police.

The PNP and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) scored anew in their intensified effort to fight illegal drugs in the country. The fight against illegal substances is one of our major concerns,” said Bacalzo. The latest buy-bust operation last month resulted in the arrest of Reginald Winston Fernando, a provincial jail guard, and Maureen Perez, a resident of Barangay Ligtasan, Tarlac City.

“We have directed all regional and operational units to deploy all personnel for increased visibility to deter criminal activity and allay fears of a crime wave,” Bacalzo said.

Bacalzo has initiated the one-strike policy, relieving police commanders if jueteng collectors are arrested in their jurisdiction, while a provincial commander is relieved if three separate arrests of collectors have been recorded in his area.

Bacalzo has created a “Zero-Backlog” committee tasked to resolve all pending administrative cases against policemen (a total of 1,175 as of Nov. 30, 2010, on or before January 31, 2011).

Under this program, special teams of police trackers have been created to arrest suspected NP personnel involved in criminal incidents, and police commanders are urged “to crack the whip on erring subordinates promptly.”

 Bacalzo, who will turn 56 in September, said applicants for police training must be given background investigation and neuro-psychiatric test and evaluation, that applicants be given basic station training to improve camaraderie, teamwork and discipline and on investigative and basic policing skills, that rewards and punishment be given to ensure good performance and penalize bad performers. To improve the support system for the police in terms of equipment, there must be upgrading of their compensation and welfare benefits, and support from local government units and the public to report abuses by the police.

Bacalzo said peace keeping is not the responsibility of the police alone. While law breakers may be apprehended and arrested, it takes years before the courts decide on cases. At the dinner with media persons, PSSupt Agrimero A. Cruz Jr., PNP public information officer, said eight years ago he figured in a vehicular accident, resulting in his sustaining of broken ribs and a badly damaged car. The case against the bus company which refused to give him compensation, is still pending in a local court. And to think that General Cruz was already a Lt. Col. when the accident took place.

Bacalzo said he used to think that the death penalty would deter the criminally-inclined to commit heinous crimes, but the Lozano-Villanueva case among many others have made him think twice.

Bacalzo finished his secondary studies at Our Lady of Peace Academy, Batangas in 1972 as class valedictorian. He applied for admission to the Philippine Military Academy although he did not think of the military as a future career. He passed the exams, was consistently on the Dean’s List/Commandant’s List, and finished in 1977. Like new PMA graduates, he was assigned to Basilan, where he engaged in firefights with rebels. He then went up many posts, ending as deputy chief PNP for Operations in August 2010. 

He wanted to be more than a policeman, more than an officer. At night, he studied law at the University of the East, Manila, and became a lawyer in 1983. He also received a Master in Public Administration degree from Manuel L. Quezon University in 1994. Under a United Nations grant, he obtained a doctorate degree in Peace and Security from the Bicol State University, Camp Crame Extension.

Bacalzo is due to retire in September. He’ll join his wife, a chemist/registered nurse, and their children in the US.

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