Good cop, bad cop
In the news this week: PNP chief Avelino Razon urges movie producers to refrain from portraying cops as bumbling villains. “(We) feel degraded,” he said, before supposedly asking reporters if his uniform made him look fat.
Now, I respect the emotional needs of our cops. And, trust me, the last thing anyone wants to do is hurt a policeman’s feelings. But, to Mr. Razon, I am a filmmaker myself and here is my answer:
N-O.
See, a world without villain cops would be a world wherein Martin Scorsese didn’t win an Oscar for The Departed. It would be a world without an Academy Award for Denzel Washington in Training Day. And what would Ryan Phillipe have played in 2006’s Best Picture, Crash?
Cinema needs its bad boys in blue. “Power corrupts” is a theme that has existed in art and literature throughout history. I’m not about to kill the tradition.
Now, Razon does have his reasons for asking movie producers to stop making bad guys of his ilk. Certain films, he believes, make it harder for law enforcers to gain the trust and respect of people in real life.”We want to project a good image of Mamang Pulis,” he told reporters.
But seriously, asking movie people to go without “good cop, bad cop” plotlines — does he really think this will work? Because, by the same token, should we then also stop making movies with evil geniuses? I mean, just like cops, not all geniuses are bad. But, as with cops, films with evil geniuses do not make every genius seem bad in real life, do they?
If Razon thinks he’s got the solution to the police force’s image problem, he is dead wrong.
On the contrary, the chief reinforces our negative perception of policemen. His request to movie producers is nothing but an attempt at authoritarianism by someone who’s obviously anally retentive.
Definition: According to Freud, children who experience conflict during the time of toilet training develop “anal” personality traits associated with a child’s efforts at excretory functions: orderliness, stubbornness, a compulsion for control.
Razon is showboating. All he wants to do is flex his muscles and show the world he can command movie producers. This is less about him wanting to clean the image of the PNP than it is about him wanting to boost his own ego.
Image Solutions
But Razon should know that an effective PR campaign doesn’t start with asking negative press to stop. If you want to clean up the image of our law enforcement, what you need is a barrage of goodness. Fight negative energy with positive energy, I say.
What he should do is take a cue from his boss, Gloria Arroyo. Her office produces a riveting, compelling show called, The Working President. Yes, I said riveting and compelling.
Each week, we get to see 90’s star Jolina Magdangal stalk our commander in chief and tell us what good the girl’s been doing. I mean, if Jolens can’t convince us the President’s awesome, no one can. And so, the PNP needs its own Jolina. (I suggest fellow 90’s has-been, Wowie de Guzman.)
Or, what about a PNP-produced action-drama? We can call it CSI: Camanava! It follows the exploits of the one forensics expert we have in this country as he tries to solve crimes around the Caloocan-Malabon-Navotas-Valenzuela area. And whenever this expert solves a crime he goes, “Camanava, baby!”
There are many other cop shows Razon can take inspiration from. Fight media with media. This is the way to go.
So the next time a film like the 1987 Joey Marquez starer Bobocop comes out, Razon will be ready with, say, The Adventures of Santos and Butch (not t o be confused with Starsky & Hutch). Everyone will pay to see that.
And it’ll earn the PNP money they’d otherwise be making on the streets... enforcing... traffic.
Real Solutions
But seriously, the best — and only — way to solve the image problem of our cops would be to have a better police force in the first place.
Changing public perception won’t change the fact that there are bad elements in our law enforcement. In fact, the only way these bad elements will be removed is for public perception to remain negative — so that evil is pointed out, not glossed over.
In sum, Razon’s little anal exercise is stupid, futile, and distracting. The Director General should instead be focusing his energy on cleaning up the institution. Once he does that, public perception will follow.
So, Mr. Razon, I can’t guarantee I’ll stop hurting your feelings, making films with bad cops and all. But if it’s any consolation, here’s another, “no” i’ll give you:
No, your uniform does not make you look fat.
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