In this country, nothing is really taken face value. And just as well, because most of the time, things are not what they seem to be. Especially when it involves the Philippine National Police. Last Sunday, 13 people were killed in an apparent shootout in Atimonan, Quezon. All of the fatalities were on board two brand new black Mitsubishi Montero Sport SUVs. One even had a seal of the Office of the President. Apparently, the vehicles came upon a checkpoint set up by members of the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, based on a tip that an armed kidnap-for-ransom group would pass Atimonan. As one of the officers approached the lead Montero, he was apparently fired upon by the occupants. This led to a response from the police and soldiers manning the checkpoint. Needless to say, the occupants of the two Monteros were outnumbered and outgunned!
As the fatalities were identified, among them were two police officers and one soldier, including a high ranking police official. P/Supt. Alfredo Perez Consemino was the chief of operations, Police Regional Office of Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan), along with two of his subordinates. So now, an investigation is underway to determine why three active policemen and an Air Force staff sergeant were with a known criminal group. But is it really surprising in this country to see police with criminal elements? What else is new? Some might even say that you can already equate crime with the police! You have a high ranking police official who is way out of his jurisdiction! Quezon is nowhere near Mimaropa! So what was he doing there?
And so the questions are now being asked, along with all the bits and pieces of information supplied by our little birds in the industry! Apparently - you have to use this word a lot when talking about the PNP - what occurred was a legitimate shootout, backed up by the Palace itself. But others, not surprisingly the relatives of the slain, are crying rubout, or the summary execution of their loved ones. What else is new? But what is clear, as backed up by a witness, is that the occupants of the lead Montero Sport fired first.
Here lies the problem of the PNP. If it can no longer be trusted to serve and protect, how much less give the right information to the public? Talk is strong that what occurred in Quezon was the result of a turf war between two criminal syndicates with their corresponding police and military contacts and protectors. That is not far-fetched in “It's more fun in the Philippines!†The mere presence of a high ranking police director who is way out of his assigned territory already raises eyebrows! There is even talk of a large amount of cash that went missing after the gunfight, a fact denied by the PNP. According to them, there was no large cash found, only weapons of various calibers. Apparently.
Who knows what really happened in Quezon, and the reasons behind it. Only the men manning the checkpoint and those who were killed would know. Not the general public. Far for me to complain if rival criminal gangs kill each other. I couldn't care less. What I do care about is the involvement of police officers, who are sworn to serve and protect the public, not their criminal buddies and their financial interests!