MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Thursday lamented the supposedly negative portrayal of the Philippine National Police in the television show “Ang Probinsyano.”
While he admitted that there are “bad eggs” in the police force, Lacson—a former top cop—said it is “unfair” to portray PNP negatively amid the efforts of the current leadership to cleanse its ranks.
“I support the move of PNP chief [Director General Oscar Albayalde]… Wag niyo namang masyadong pasamain ‘yung PNP kasi nagpipilit nga sila to lift ‘yung morale ng mga tao at credibility,” Lacson said in a press briefing.
He added: “Maraming nanonood tapos ganun ‘yung makikita mong pag-portray sa PNP. I think, to say the least, it’s unfair to the PNP na i-portray nang ganun kasi hindi naman ganun.”
Albayalde earlier announced that he is planning to write to the Movie Television Review and Classification Board over the show’s supposedly unfair portrayal of cops.
He also decried the portrayal of the PNP chief, saying it is “far from reality.”
In the show, which has been running since 2015, the fictional PNP chief and a similarly fictional vice president are portrayed as working together in illegal activities.
Responding to Albayalde’s concerns, ABS-CBN stressed the television show is fictional and is not meant to put the PNP in bad light.
ABS-CBN Integrated Corporate Communications head Kane Errol Choa said “there is no intention to smear the reputation of any organization or portray any person in a negative light.”
He also pointed that Cardo, the main character of the show portrayed by actor Coco Martin, is a “hardworking police officer dedicated to saving lives and serving his fellowmen.”
Grace Poe defends ‘Ang Probinsyano’
Sen. Grace Poe stressed the modern-day retelling of his father’s film is “fictional… and carved out of the creative minds of the people behind the production.”
Poe is the daughter of late action star Fernando Poe Jr., who was the first to portray the main role in “Ang Probinsyano.” Her mother, actress Susan Roces, also plays a character in the show.
“May mga kontrabida sa kwento: hindi lamang pulis kundi iba pa. Pwede nating sabihin na ‘bato-bato sa langit, tamaan ay wag magalit,’” she said.
The senator added that the public’s perception of cops is based on the action of real-life policemen they see on the streets and not on the acting of fictional cops they watch on screen.