Malacañang to disgruntled PNP men: Come out in the open, we talk

Malacañang challenged yesterday unnamed police officers who took out a newspaper advertisement regarding the looming leadership change in the Philippine National Police (PNP) to come out in the open.

Acting Press Secretary Silvestre Afable hurled this challenge yesterday after a manifesto, entitled "We Are Concerned" and signed by "Concerned PNP Officers," appeared in yesterday’s issue of The STAR.

"We hope things like that could be settled, could be done with more propriety. People should identify themselves to air their grievances," Afable said.

"It’s really difficult to respond to such anonymous ads because they tend to create a lot of speculation," he added.

Although the manifesto did not refer to anyone in particular, it was obviously referring to Deputy Director General Hermogenes Ebdane who, the President has announced, would succeed Director General Leandro Mendoza upon his retirement as PNP chief in September.

Afable said the President is willing to listen to all sides before she finalizes her decision on who would be the next PNP chief.

"While the President has the prerogative (to name the next PNP chief), we are willing to listen to all who are involved in this decision," Afable said.

"But it would be better if there is a process by which the people can come out and air their issues openly. They should be identified so we know what they’re talking about," he added.

Afable said the President is willing to meet with these "concerned PNP officers" if they really have names and faces.

He said the President has, in the past, met with other groups that have aired their grievances through paid newspaper ads, but they identified themselves properly.

"These were organizations which signed their ads to air their grievances openly. That’s fine with us so that we can consider a dialogue with them or not," he said.

In their manifesto, the "concerned PNP officers" asked the President to reconsider the decision she announced on Oct. 25 last year that Ebdane would be the next PNP chief.

"We strongly feel it is our obligation to you as our President in particular and the country in general, to express our reasons why the choice on who should lead the PNP go through another review in broader perspective and not limiting the choice to ONLY ONE by reason of rank seniority or perhaps political considerations," the ad read.

"We are concerned because we want our leaders to be professionals with a high sense of public accountability, and who consider the helm of the PNP a position of great responsibility rather than one of privilege to be enjoyed even for just one ear — an utter display of immense obsession," the manifesto added.

Although the President had already announced Ebdane’s supposed succession to the top PNP post, she also decided in March to extend Mendoza’s tour of duty by six months.

However, she stressed last week that she stands by her previous announcement and said the six-month delay would not affect Ebdane since he is not due for retirement until 2004.

Ebdane, currently chief of the National Anti-Kidnapping Task Force, was deputy commander of the Presidential Security Group during the Ramos administration and director of the Western Police District. — Marichu Villanueva