At least 90 “gangsters” involved in corruption in the Philippine National Police would be fired, President Duterte announced the other day. A common reaction to the announcement was: why only 90? It must be just the first batch, with the 90 mostly members of the PNP officer corps.
The President surely believes that there are more than 90 “gangsters” in the police service. He had once described the PNP as “rotten to the core.” Besides corruption, cops have been implicated in criminal activities including kidnapping, carjacking and drug trafficking. The President’s so-called narco list includes police officers including generals. In his bloody war against illegal drugs, vigilantes executing civilians are widely suspected to be the so-called “ninja cops” who are permanently silencing potential witnesses against them. Purging the PNP of such scalawags is overdue.
The President should not limit his anti-corruption purge to the PNP. It can be extended to other agencies notorious for corruption such as the Bureau of Customs. The Department of the Interior and Local Government also has disciplinary powers over barangay offices. In local governments, the President can prod his political allies to conduct similar purges. A thorough housecleaning is always welcome as the nation rings in a new year.