Drastic measures needed

In response to public uproar over the occurrence of violent crimes, President Noynoy said: “There will be no let up in the fight against crime.” He “ordered the police to immediately resolve cases of violent crime”.

“I want the kidnappers to feel this is a personal fight already, there should be no let up in efforts to apprehend them,” he declared.

“The PNP will be reformed and its personnel adequately trained to end the spree of violent crime.” He “ordered the PNP to increase its visibility”. 

These statements are nice to hear but will they be enough? Is that all he will do to solve a problem that is plaguing the country from Quezon City to Basilan, from Pampanga to Davao and Cotabato, from Cavite to Zamboanga City, from Caloocan to Ilocos Norte?

We believe he should now convene a high level summit to discuss the crime situation, the peace and order problem, the incompetence and corruption of the PNP, the corruption and imperfection of the judicial system that he himself has pointed out, and the protection some local government officials are giving to criminal syndicates, including erring policemen as charged in Maguindanao and Cotabato.

In 1992, FVR immediately overhauled the PNP by retiring 68 Generals and Colonels. In 1998, President Erap went hammer and tongs and waged an all-out war against criminals and rebels.

In the US, Congress passed a special law adding 50,000 policemen immediately to the police force during Pres. Clinton’s first term. In El Salvador, upon pressure from the US State Department, 50 percent of the entire police force was replaced.

President Noynoy and Congress must now craft something just as drastic and creative to deal with a crime situation that has definitely gotten out of hand.

The Maguindanao Massacre, the Aug. 23 hostage taking fiasco, the recurrent Basilan and Cotabato kidnappings, the gun for hire murders, the recent spate of brutal and violent crimes prove that the situation is out of control.

There is a need for a wholistic package of reforms that will improve the performance of the police, prosecutors, judges, the jail system, and local government officials from Governor to Mayor to Barangay Chairmen.

There should be among others a lifestyle check of all Police Generals, Regional Directors/Provincial Directors and City Chiefs of Police to begin with.

The revamp of the DILG, the Napolcom and the Philippine National Police Academy is overdue. Too many citizens have been killed, too many girls have been raped, too many homes have been robbed, too many kids have become drug addicts, too many policemen have become criminals.

This is truly a national emergency that has killed more people and damaged the country more than typhoons Ondoy, Pepeng, Basyang and Juan combined. Words are not enough, drastic measures are needed. Flesh out your words “This is a personal fight.”

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RECALL THEM . . .While PNP Chief Raul Bacalzo is complaining of lack of policemen, at least 2,000 policemen have been assigned to be security guards for senators, congressmen, bureaucrats and local government officials. More than 300 have been assigned to Congress (Senate and House) and its members. Many newly appointed Aquino officials now have police escorts. For example, 7 policemen are assigned to Immigration OIC Ronald Ledesma. Cops are still escorting funerals, wedding cars and tourist buses.

Gen. Bacalzo must now enforce his order to recall all policemen assigned to non police duties. Hundreds of policemen who have left for jobs in the US, Iraq and Afghanistan are still holding on to their positions due to approved extended leaves. Disapprove the leaves of absence, declare them AWOL, dismiss them and fill up their items with new recruits.

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FANTASTIC RICE KICKBACKS. . . After NFA Chief Lito Banayo submitted a report detailing the huge kickbacks on rice importation by the GMA administration, from an average $60 per metric ton to a high of $175/MT when NFA bought rice for about $1,000/MT, President Aquino himself announced at the LP anniversary affair that one group had cornered the importation of 200,000 metric tons allocated to the private sector. The policy was supposed to be only 10,000 metric tons per importer.

These huge kickbacks started during the time of President Ramos, but it was then only $10-$20/MT and maximized during the GMA/FG years as reported by Banayo.

Under GMA, about 10 million metric tons of rice was imported. Multiply that by $60/MT and yet have a gigantic tongpats of tens of billions. But that’s not all, there was allowed the smuggling of huge quantities of rice that piggy backed on the NFA importation coming in thru Manila, Subic, Batangas, Poro point, Cebu, Ozamiz, Tagoloan, General Santos and Zamboanga City.

President Aquino must now file the charges against NFA, DA and Malacañang officials involved.

A simple NBI investigation of Binondo and Dagupan St. rice cartels will pinpoint the people involved. It’s an open secret in Chinatown. In fact, Chinese traders/importers know that one policy during GMA’s time was the requirement that the kickbacks be paid in advance.

This is a major test for P-Noy’s “walang corrupt, walang mahirap” election promise.

The billion pesos question: will Banayo, Alcala and Kamaganak Inc. resist the lure of the easy money to be made from rice imports which have now been announced again? Or will they at least “moderate their greed” by bringing down the kickbacks to no more than $20/MT?

How about BIR now conducting a lifestyle check on all Binondo rice importers/traders led by the Seven Sisters, and all past NFA administrators, deputy administrators, PBAC members and regional directors, and of course, all previous Secretaries of Agriculture. From this source alone, Secretary Purisima and Kim Henares, can achieve their target collections.

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Our radio program “Mister Expose” airs tomorrow over DZRJ-AM. 810 KHZ, from 8 to 9:30 a.m.