'Code 2' and other terms in police jargon

MANILA, Philippines -  When the term “Code 2” was brought up in the controversy following the extortion allegation made by the son of Metro Manila’s top policeman against two police officers, some asked if there are other “codes” used in police parlance.

According to several police officers at the Quezon City Police District, some terms are known internationally, while others are used only in the Philippines.

“Code 2” was originally used during conversations among policemen through a two-way radio and one is asking the other to investigate. But since “Code 2” sounds like “kotong,” it has also been used in police jargon to refer to extortion.

According to the account of the “patrol buddy” of Senior Police Officer 4 Jose dela Peña, this second variation of “Code 2” was what the dismissed policeman meant when he went back to the patrol vehicle after approaching and taking over the car of the son of Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina.

“Anak pala ni General Espina. Hindi ko naman na-Code 2 (It was a son of Espina, but I wasn’t able to Code 2),” was what Dela Peña said, according to PO2 Resty del Rosario.

If there’s “Code 2,” there is also “Code 1,” which also has two meanings. Generally, it is used by policemen to refer to the incumbent President, but Code 1 could also mean “to extend assistance.”

“Code 2” is not the only term used when a case is being fixed. The word “bangketa” (sidewalk) is also used when the case is being discussed and fixed outside the precinct.

Meanwhile, when policemen talk to each on two-way radio, they usually refer to criminals as “301,” pronounced three-oh-one. When there is a dead person, policemen call him “100,” pronounced one-zero-zero.

A drug case is called “91,” short for Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.

Any shooting incident is referred to as “166” while a crime wherein the victim was stabbed is referred to as “155.” A spin-off of Code “155” is “55 (five-five),” used to refer to sexual intercourse.

Policemen use “Mama” to refer to a man while “Whiskey” is used to refer to a woman. A man’s mistress or anyone apart from his acknowledged partner is called “01 (oh-one).”

A squabble or fight between a husband and his wife or any domestic dispute is usually referred to as “John and Marsha,” derived from the defunct family sitcom that aired from 1973 to 1990.

In an investigation, a suspect is called “Sierra,” while an asset or an informant is called “Alpha.”

On the other hand, a complainant is called “1017,” while a bystander or any spectator who is at the crime scene but should not be there is called “Usi,” short for the Filipino slang “usisero” or busybody.