Shake up needed

In his interview with Starweek Magazine before Christmas, President Aquino finally took note of the “violent crimes” that has been happening during the first six months of his administration, labeling it a “top priority”.

He said that “kidnapping, carjacking and other serious crimes persist. I want all kidnappers to feel that this is a personal fight already. There should be no let up in efforts to apprehend them.”

Good, very good. Now the hard part, how to go about catching the criminals, especially the gun for hire assassins riding in tandem on a motorcycle? How to stop the kidnappings in Basilan, Manila and Valenzuela? How to eliminate drug pushing?

Who is tasked to do it? Obviously, the DILG, DOJ, PNP, NBI and in rebel areas the AFP. So the first order of business is to shake and shape up those agencies.

Too many policemen have been charged with being the criminals themselves. Sixty-two policemen are charged for taking part in the Ampatuan Massacre. The latest cases, two Quezon province policemen arrested for killing jewelry trader Maria Cristina Maru in Las Piñas, two Cainta policemen stabbing a pregnant woman and dumping her into a ravine in Pagsanjan, Laguna and four QC cops suspected of trying to kidnap Indian businessman James Khumar. The Napolcom has been too slow in disposing of administrative cases against policemen.     

Governors and mayors must take charge of the anti crime effort, especially crime ridden Metro Manila especially Quezon City and Caloocan, Cotabato, Basilan, Maguindanao, Sulu, Batangas, Cavite, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Ilocos Norte, Masbate, Cebu, Iloilo and the cities of Zamboanga, Davao, Angeles and Baguio.

Barangay officials and tanods must do more to stop snatching, petty holdups in their streets, car side mirror thefts and retail drug dealing in their barangay. The barangay chairman must be alert enough to detect the presence of a shabu laboratory in their neighborhood.

In the first order of business is a serious effort to collect loose and unlicensed firearms, to direct the commissioner and collectors of Customs to stop the rampant smuggling of firearms in containers that are not inspected due to bribery. Stop the sale of firearms by the military and the police. Start an audit of police and soldiers’ guns.

PNP Director General Raul Bacalzo is trying to do his job but we agree with him that the PNP needs 55,000 more policemen to win their war against crime. But the 2011 PNP budget does not reflect any priority for an anti crime effort. Only 3,000 additional policemen are to be hired this year.

On the other end, the very low conviction roll of criminals must be improved. More prosecutors are needed, too.

Rapes are up, kidnapping persists, taxi drivers are routinely robbed and killed in Quezon City, Japanese tourists are robbed in Manila, foreigners are being killed in Angeles City, Indians and Koreans are targetted by syndicates headed by their fellow Indians and Koreans.

Yes, Mr. President, you are in the right track. Act faster and more decisively on the anti crime front.

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SHALANI WATCH . . .Councilor Shalani Soledad has a 21-page wide ranging interview with 51 photos in the January issue of Yes Magazine written by Jo-Ann Maglipon. It’s the longest interview on record. She also guested in our radio show “Mr. Expose” over DZRJ-AM last Sunday. In both interviews, she confirmed that P-Noy broke off with her on Sept. 28, 2010 after a two-year love affair. She didn’t say what was the cause of the break-up but it was clear he wanted it and she did not. Obviously hurt by the break-up, Shalani said it will take time before she considers entering into a new relationship. She denies any interest in Willie Revillame or Sherwin Gatchalian.

She also narrated her emotional reunion after 30 years with her dad Adi Aguirre of Banco Filipino.

As Valenzuela Councilor, she gets P47,000 a month. As co-host of Willing Willie, she gets an estimated P500,000 to P1 million a month.

At 30, P-Noy’s leaving her is a blessing in disguise. Not only does she now have a promising and lucrative TV career, she is now free to choose from so many suitors a sweetheart who will marry her anytime and not make her wait until she is 36 to get married.

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P-NOY IN BAGUIO . . .President Aquino flew by chopper to Baguio on Dec. 31 and spent New Year’s eve at the Mansion house. Newspapers report that he paid a call on Baguio-Benguet Bishop Carlito Cenzon. To Bishop Cenzon’s surprise, P-Noy offered funding support for Baguio’s improvement from Pagcor funds. To P-Noy’s surprise, Bishop Cenzon rejected the offer. Some staff officials failed to brief Noynoy that Bishop Cenzon is the leading opponent of gambling in the Pines City. Somebody forgot that CBCP had adopted a resolution prohibiting its members from receiving Pagcor money.

After the meeting with Bishop Cenzon at the Baguio Cathedral, P-Noy proceeded to Camp John Hay with Sec. Rene Almendras, Pagcor Chairman Bong Naguiat and an unidentified lady to eat pizza.

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TIDBITS. . . Rejoice Rivera, a member of the Baywalk Bodies, a group of sexy dancers, was shot dead at Tabang, Guiguinto, Bulacan. Another deadly accident at the STAR tollway in Batangas. A bus overtook a car and ran head-on into a jeepney with 11 passengers, seven of whom died. Again, when do we seriously clamp down on speeding bus drivers?

The chief of police of Talavera, Nueva Ecija Supt. Ricardo Dayag Jr. has been killed by his deputy chief of police, Inspector Bernardo Castro, another case of a policeman committing a crime.