Like the military’s chief of staff, the director general of the Philippine National Police needs not just competence and integrity but also the full confidence of the president. By all indications, Nicanor Bartolome enjoys the third qualification. The coming months will show whether he has enough of the two other qualities to deal with the many problems confronting the PNP.
Raul Bacalzo turned over command to Bartolome last week as the PNP saw its image once again tarnished by allegations of corruption involving several of its former top officials. The scandals came amid increasing reports of kidnapping cases especially in Mindanao. At the turnover ceremonies, President Aquino ordered Bartolome to focus on stopping kidnapping, carjacking and other crimes that have long bedeviled the country.
Filipinos are not the only one who worry about losing their cars, being mugged in the streets or losing their valuables at home to burglars. Personal security has also been a key concern of tourists and expatriates in the Philippines. A program to set up special PNP units to keep tourists safe did not get off the ground. In one case, cops themselves robbed a foreign tourist in Makati, forcing him to buy laptops using his credit card. The PNP has not yet fully recovered from the deadly hostage fiasco in Rizal Park last year. An elite PNP response team formed after that crisis has yet to be tested in a major hostage incident.
Bartolome also inherits the task of eradicating jueteng and other forms of illegal gambling that are among the biggest causes of corruption in the PNP. The campaign cannot succeed without the cooperation of politicians, a number of whom are among the biggest coddlers of gambling lords. If Bartolome is seriously interested in accomplishing this task, he can coordinate with revenue authorities so that illegal gambling operators can be nailed down for amassing ill-gotten wealth.
Another problem Bartolome has inherited is the penchant of cops to resort to human rights violations and other extrajudicial shortcuts in law enforcement. Modernizing the PNP entails not only computerizing certain police services but also training cops in scientific methods of crime investigation and solution. This includes improving crime laboratory facilities.
Bartolome can use to his advantage perceptions that he enjoys a special closeness with President Aquino. With the President’s full support, Bartolome can turn the PNP into a more efficient, professional and modern police force.