Survey: Cops want Estrada to resign

Majority of policemen assigned in Metro Manila want President Estrada to resign as they believe that the accusations now being heard in the Senate impeachment trial against him are all true.

This was according to a survey conducted among Metro Manila policemen recently by a civilian group commissioned by concerned police officers, called the Reform PNP Movement.

Sources said the poll was financed by 12 ranking police officers belonging to the movement.

The survey, launched between Dec. 10 to 17 said 60 percent of the 400 polled respondents said President Estrada must resign while 32 percent opted to wait for the verdict of the Senate impeachment trial.

The poll was a combination of personal interviews and questionnaires which were given to 70 ranking officers and a number of non-commissioned officers.

Sixty-one percent of the respondents also said the police force should withdraw its support for Estrada.

Eighty-three percent of those interviewed said they believed that Estrada received money from jueteng, seven percent said no, while 10 percent had no opinion.

Also, 85 percent of those asked, believed Estrada built mansions for his mistresses, 10 percent said no and five percent had no opinion.

In the same survey, the policemen said they were dissatisfied with the leadership of their boss, national police chief Director General Panfilo Lacson.

Eighty-four percent said Lacson’s leadership is causing demoralization, confirming an earlier revelation of sacked Chief Superintendent Steve Cudal, and 10 percent do not believe so.

Among the sentiments raised by the respondents was the alleged unfairness of Lacson with his subordinates and favoring personnel of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force.

Asked whether they will follow orders from Lacson to forcibly stop lawful rallies by the people, 89 percent said no and five percent said yes.

According to the PNP Reform Movement, there was great reluctance on the part of police personnel to be interviewed for fear of reprisal from their superiors.

But when assured of the total confidentiality of the survey, many agreed to be interviewed and answer the questionnaires. Even then, 120 refused to participate.

The movement also claimed that there were lots of other sentiments from police in personnel, ranging from discontent, frustration and outright rebellion.