Polibiz
'Pulis Patola' in Oton
Just when the town of Oton is on its way to progress in terms of infrastructure and economy, the inappropriate behavior of some members of our local Philippine National Police (PNP) would somehow give our town a negative impression on its totality.
Other than health, livelihood and other basic services implemented by our local government through the no-nonsense leadership of Mayor Carina Veloso Flores, peace and order is also a top priority in her list.
Lest I will be accused a bootlicker by others, due to my closeness to the mayor and her better half Boss Totik, both on professional and personal level, I want to put things in its proper perspective when I call "a spade a spade."
To stop beating around the bush, my recent inauspicious encounter with an aging fat-bellied police officer, whom I would call "Pulis Patola" for purpose of emphasis, has made me think twice the essence of "an officer and a gentleman."
Once while riding my bicycle passing through the public plaza on my way home at around 10 p.m. after a quick dinner from a kiosk nearby, Pulis Patola called my attention in an arrogant manner.
Upon approaching, he started giving me a brief lecture about a new ordinance prohibiting the use of bicycles inside the plaza premises and the consequences of violating such ordinance. The conversation ended in brief but we departed in a not so cordial manner.
Exactly a week later after the incident, we bumped each other again on the same spot, at the same time for the same reason.
Call it a force of habit other than convenience, hence the reason for using the same route on my way back home.
This time Pulis Patola was bold and more arrogant as he called my name, threatening at the same time to lock me up in cell. He appeared more offensive after he found out my bicycle was unregistered.
I found the situation absurd which resulted to a nasty exchange of words.
Realizing he was accompanied by more than half a dozen men in uniform taking a ride with him, I opted to cut the conversation abruptly as this may send a wrong signal to the young idealistic breed aspiring to become police officer as a profession.
I thought for awhile my unfavorable encounter with Pulis Patola was an isolated incident only to realize he has been a constant source of notoriety among residents in the neighborhood.
Take the case of a recent incident which took place a week ago along the highway in Brgy. San Antonio, when the police car he was driving was mistaken for a public utility by a group of young male students waiting for a late home bound ride to the city.
Without provocation he held them up for a moment; conducted a body search treating the students like hoodlums. Disappointed not finding anything after the search, he ordered the group aboard the vehicle to conduct further interrogation at the police station.
Smelling something fishy for the unreasonable demand, the guys insisted for their rights, defied the order right then and there ready to hold their ground.
Eventually, realizing perhaps his stupidity, Pulis Patola left them in peace.
Once, a drunken husband was locked up in jail after the wife, sought the help of the Oton PNP personnel to intervene. The next morning, after realizing his misdeeds, the husband asked forgiveness. The spouse, forgiving wife that she was, right away made an appeal to the police to let him free.
Surprisingly, Pulis Patola insisted to have the husband jailed longer, as if he was the aggrieved party involved. Why this officer is obsessed to act as judge, jury and the executioner rolled into one is something beyond me.
Unknown to him, he was made a laughing stock among his peers every time he turns his back away from them for gaining simple knowledge, not to mention his enigmatic personality.
In not so distant past, he also committed another comedy of error when he allegedly locked up a harmless homosexual longer than necessary. It was in his belief that the homo molested a minor, hence the reason for putting the latter behind bars sans a formal complaint from the victim's parents.
To his surprise, the alleged victim's parents and the minor himself vehemently denied an act of molestation occurred defending the suspect in the process.
Apparently, it was a big slap in his face, if not an outright commission of a dishonorable act.
I could still enumerate a lot of blunders he made, shameful to the interest of the good name of Oton PNP but I might as well leave the judgment from Someone up there.