Police force

By Francisco Lindero, Jr.

The police force is indubitably the best source of news. Recently, the Kalibo incident filled the airwaves and overflowed in the front pages of local newspapers. The RSOG controversy also made a masterpiece. In all these and in some other incidents, names of police officers punctuated every line of commentary and analysis. And regrettably the PNP organization is not spared from malicious commentaries of critics that most often went beyond journalistic professionalism. Is it not the PNP was labeled the most corrupt institution?

Oftentimes the issues involving police officers boil back to the controversy that haunted the selection of applicants to the police service.   With hundreds to a thousand of applicants in a single recruitment, it is not amazing that an applicant will doubt his credentials or even his capabilities. This syndrome is due to the increasing percentage of unemployment that leaves our graduates no better choice but to get any available job there is.

Gone were the days where one jumped on a career because it was his childhood's most cherished dream. At present, we are stricken with the urgency to survive the claws of poverty. These factors constitute the strong competition among our work force.

Applying with the Philippine National Police (PNP) is so tight nowadays. The PNP accommodates not only graduates of Criminology but also any graduate of four-year baccalaureate degree and a holder of Civil Service eligibility or has passed the NAPOLCOM entrance exam.   This makes the application even more competitive.

The throng of young men and women undergoing the highly competitive PNP screening test is surely unsure of their fate. Their treasured documents are not all that matters to make it through the selection process. Let us be frank about it.   The PNP organization is never spared from irregularities as natural offshoots of “ padrino” system and other Filipino values that corrupt the integrity and credibility of our government agencies and institutions.

Amidst the issues surrounding the Kalibo shooting rampage, Atty. Joseph Celiz of NAPOLCOM boldly declared that “palakasan” (backer's system) and “palusutan” (sneaking-in) did exist in recruiting policemen. His knowledge on this fact cannot be doubted. Was he not a member of the selection board in the recent recruitment of police officers?

While I trust every word of Atty. Celiz for divulging such fact, I doubted if his declaration complied with the required standard in the observance of “delicadeza”. He alleged to have known a victim who allegedly paid as much as P30,000.00 just to enter the police force. If you were a member of the selection board, would you think telling the public of such irregularities can spare you from liabilities? Why not spearhead the probe against the perpetrators?

Well, I don't intend to blame to Atty. Celiz if nothing has yet been done to investigate the alleged mulcting (was it not bribery?) of PNP applicants. The Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 has also responsibility on the matter. General George Aliño should have not only listened to the accusation of Atty. Celiz. He should have done something to confirm the veracity of the alleged irregularity. But, even without the need of any investigation, the “palakasan” system undoubtedly exist in the PNP as it is in other government organization. Our system has already gotten used to it. But, to be fair with the police organization, it is doing the best to reform itself. Intensified campaign against the scalawag members, a.k.a “TABA Cops” is making statistics. And with General Aglipay's optimism in his “in-house cleansing” program, we can hope for a credible, responsible and effective police force.