No need for a police court

A proposed law to create police courts is redundant, as summary dismissal proceedings are already in place to hear administrative cases against cops charged for abusive behavior.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has ad hoc investigative bodies in every region, in addition to the PNP Internal Affairs Service, the People’s Law Enforcement Board (PLEB) and those at the National Police Commission (Napolcom).

Why create police courts similar to the court martial of the military when they’re unnecessary?

I’m surprised that one of the authors of the proposed law is Sen. Dick Gordon, who is the father of PLEB.

The PLEB, which has branches in every city and town, is a civilian court that tries policemen accused of exceeding their authority.

PLEB, a body much like the Sandiganbayan which has three justices hearing one criminal complaint, is headed by a chairman and two or three other board members.

To repeat, there is no need for a police court.

What is needed is for the summary dismissal proceedings to be composed of upright PNP members who can’t be bribed by the accused cops.

And summary, as the name implies, should be fast or done without delay.

There should be a time frame within which to hear administrative cases.

Based on our experience at Isumbong mo kay Tulfo, a tribune in the broadcast media, trial of administrative cases against policemen takes so long that civilian plaintiffs lose interest in pursuing their complaints. The result is that the cases are dismissed.

Police Senior M/Sgt. Jonel Nuezca, who murdered in cold blood a mother and her son in front of a video camera, had two cases of homicide before he committed the dastardly act against his neighbors. However, the cases were dismissed for “lack of substantial evidence.” Probably, the relatives of Nuezca’s victims were paid off or threatened into not pursuing their complaints.

This columnist, who was a crime reporter for many years, humbly suggests that policemen charged with administrative offenses be confined to barracks while the cases against them are being tried. A cop charged may ask for the speedy resolution of his case. That way, officers conducting summary dismissal proceedings will be constrained to avoid delay.

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On Jan. 25, the country commemorated the 7th anniversary of the massacre of 44 police commandos at the hands of Moro terrorists in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

(I was told that two members of the US Navy Seals, who acted as their advisers, also perished with them, but that’s another story for a future column).

Yes, they were gallant men who sacrificed their lives to perform their duty of maintaining the peace and upholding the law.

But their fate reminds all of us of the surrender of Fil-American forces in Bataan during the Second World War to the invading Japanese army.

Must we celebrate defeat rather than victory?

Why is the country not celebrating the retaking of Marawi City by government troops from Moro terrorists on Oct. 23, 2017?

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Sen. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara vehemently denies that he and his late father, Senator Ed Angara, used their power and influence to set up the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO).

Senator Sonny, however, admits that APECO “has suffered from years of poor management. As a result, the ultimate vision for APECO – to improve the livelihood of the people in Casiguran and nearby areas…has yet to be fully realized.”

In short, Angara admits that APECO is a white elephant or a useless piece of real estate.

For his admission, I admire Sonny Angara.

Oh, then, the younger Angara should sponsor a bill scrapping APECO since it has not served its purpose since it was set up in 2007.

The government is pouring money into a useless bottomless pit.

Even Sen. Dick Gordon is very disappointed at the sheer incompetence of the APECO’s present management when it comes to bringing in investments.

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The “wife” of a Cabinet member who’s the subject of complaints from businessmen for demanding too much bribe money is codenamed “Mrs. Bravo.” This column featured her on Jan. 25.

“Wife” is enclosed in quotation marks because Mr. Secretary’s legal spouse passed away two years ago.

The late legal wife, who didn’t interfere in the Cabinet official’s work, is now referred to by subordinates as “Mrs. Alpha.”

The phonetic alphabet, often used by the military, is recited as Alpha for A; Bravo for B; Charlie for C; Delta for D; Echo for E; Foxtrot for F, etc., etc.

In short, Mrs. Bravo is Mr. Secretary’s No. 2 with whom he has a child. Mrs. Bravo is in her middle 40s.

The businessmen, one of whom complained to this columnist, said they wouldn’t have hollered if Mrs. Bravo was not avaricious or too greedy.

For a compliance permit filed with her husband’s office, Mrs. Bravo demands anywhere from P50 to P100 million. This excludes permits to do business, which is another P50 to P100 million.

One of the businessmen even coughed out a total of P500 million for the complete package, according to the scuttlebutt among his colleagues.

Hints as to the identity of Mrs. Bravo: She was a private supplier to the military and her brother is running for mayor of a town in Bulacan.

Everybody in her husband’s department knows her and her activities.

Garapal (gross) is how the husband’s subordinates refer to her.