Res Gestae
Police character
It always surprises me when one accuses somebody of having a "police character" for having done some irregular acts. Being used without conscious consideration of its implications, "police character" becomes a (street) jargon that is attributed to a person when he acts with arrogance, vulgar in his language, exploits another, or employs deceitful tactics to enrich himself at the expense of another. While some are elated for being labeled as such, the use of "police character" as description to person (who is not a member of the PNP) in reference to his (obnoxious) act is a grave injustice to the real understanding of what those words actually mean. Thus, instead of having called to mind the values of "justice, honor and service" when referring to a police character, the contrary becomes more familiar and fitting maybe because the facts themselves justify the usage.
Undeniably, the negative perception of our police thrives as several members of the force are involved in clandestine operations on illegal drugs, kidnap-for-ransom, summary execution, robbery, corruption and countless of other activities that are inhuman and unbecoming of an officer. Aggravating to this situation are the cases of irregularities being committed by the members of the PNP, which continue to rise especially among its neophytes (the PO1s) amidst the campaign to improve the image of the organization and to win back the trust and confidence of the people. And sad to note that several years after the effectivity of Republic Act 8551 otherwise known as the "Philippine National Police Reform and Reorganization Act of 1998", the PNP is still dragging behind its goal to truly establish an image of credibility and reliability in the community.
Many factors are behind this sluggish improvement in the PNP; but everything would surely boil down to the recruitment of its members. Truly, despite the upgrading in the qualification requirements for one to enter the police service, misfit (unfit) inevitably penetrates the portals of the organization because of "palakasan" system in the recruitment process. It is not "what you know" that matters nowadays when a person desires to join the PNP but "who you know". Our "politicos" know this well. Ask them!
However, as I have mentioned in my previous articles, the PNP is not a hopeless case as regards to its efforts in establishing a commendable reputation to the public. Each of us is a witness to many police officers who serve the community even beyond the call of duty.
I am particularly impressed of our police last All Saints' and All Souls' Day and even in other holidays who were on stand-by at cemeteries, malls and terminals rendering security to the public while most of the populace were celebrating the occasion with their respective families. Similarly, I admire the police who, after a day loaded with paper works at the office, still display an exemplary dedication as they perform traffic control and management at strategic locations in some major thoroughfares in the city. These sacrifices being endured by our police and such other similar cases manifest the true meaning (denotations and connotations) of a police character.
Thus, while still many arbitrarily use the attribute "police character" to endemic irregularities committed by persons who are not, by themselves, members of the PNP, we who are conscious witnesses to the heroic deeds of the many police must know well its usage!
(Send your comments or suggestions to rogatepnp@yahoo.com)