PNP: Right minus wrong

The Philippine National Police has fielded an additional 600 police officers after a series of shooting incidents in Metro Manila. This came after a “businessman” shot a defenseless driver at the Ayala/EDSA tunnel and after a senior official of the Land Transportation Office was ambushed and killed by a lone gunman.

Congratulations to the PNP for immediately finding and arresting the EDSA shooter, congratulations to the MMDA for having a functional and useful CCTV camera. And thank you to the PNP for trying to do something about the shooting incidents.

But here’s the rub or why I entitled today’s column Right Minus Wrong.

For starters, the two shooting incidents are not isolated incidents of road rage or ambush assassination. Anyone who follows the news or social media particularly on YouTube quickly realizes that there is an almost daily occurrence of either shootings, stabbings or murder as reported on radio and TV.

I won’t suggest that we have high criminality on the road but there is a high level of rage and anxiety among drivers relative to the very low presence of law enforcers and actual law enforcement. That is why in spite of stiff fines or penalties, people still dare to disobey the law because they are convinced there is a greater chance, they can get away with it.

This is also why I oppose the No-Contact Apprehension because punishment must be immediate and not just financially severe. I remember a Congressman who was part of a ceremonial fun run of sports cars. He was reminded to stay within the agreed speed limit as a courtesy to the expressway and the organizers.

After some needling and comic jabs, the Congressman complained that his car was worth over P25 million. If necessary, he would just pay everybody’s fine for overspeeding just so they could enjoy their cars!!! It was meant as a joke, but it shows what other people could be thinking. Being arrested in person has always been embarrassing even for the rich and powerful.

The reason the PNP was forced to take the extraordinary measure of fielding 600 officers was because the two incidents were very public, brutal, and alarming unlike other cases that were only covered in the news but was not so alarming. Six hundred more cops on the streets may sound like a good idea but where exactly are they going to be?

Even before the 600 are fielded, how about secretly studying the whereabouts of police officers in Metro Manila. I honestly believe there is an ample number of cops on each block but exactly where are they during their beat?

From what I have seen, many of them are holed up in their airconditioned offices within barangay halls, inside malls, or supermarkets, etc.  If they could at least regularly “do rounds” on street bikes, scooters, or motorcycles every hour or so, there would at least be a felt and seen Police presence.

I honestly won’t ask them to do something I won’t or can’t do, and that would be to walk under the blazing sun or be drenched in the rain. Of course, it would help them stay fit to at least do the 10,000 steps per day in their community. But I vote that we require them to do their “drive bys” and “Joy Ride” to protect the public and deter criminals.

Speaking of deterrents, isn’t it time for the PNP leadership to end the culture of entitlement and impunity of undeserving individuals who are granted PTC or “Permit To Carry” weapons outside their residence? The Philippines has more than enough nightmares of road rage and guns and many of them involve individuals who don’t have real threats, just psychopathic behavior!

I can already hear the gun lovers and PTC card carrying folks cursing at this article, but I challenge the PNP leadership to do a random investigation of individuals granted PTCs and find out if they are truly at risk or have an existing threat. Most don’t have one, they simply claim one in compliance of the requirements for a PTC. Making up a threat is hallucination and that is ground for disqualification not compliance.

Another feature of PTC carriers are they are rich or used to be in the uniformed services. The “Ka-baro” or fellow uniformed-relationship mentality is one reason why misfits in the Military and the PNP still manage to go around with guns. It is a twin to the “Pa-arbor” or taking cognizance of a friend or associate, who should neither be harbored or tolerated because of twisted notion of friendship.

If the PNP leadership actually hired a research team to investigate, let’s find out among the card carrying or gun carrying individuals, how many of them actually survived an ambush or a shoot-out with assassins? How many were shot dead, unable to shoot back, or actually neutralized the threat?

Based on personal and work-related knowledge, carrying a gun and a PTC, and having bodyguards won’t save you from an experienced assassin. Several businessmen I know were either killed, their bodyguards maimed or killed, or they were kidnapped, and their guns and PTC were of no use.

My former classmate was driving out of his garage when a gunman shot him in the back of his head. A friend was on his way inside a hotel with a driver and bodyguard when his killer shot him and the bodyguard in one swift motion. I know several well-known people who loved guns, collected guns, had gun carrying bodyguards who were killed by Cancer, Covid, Heart Attacks etc. Not even their Level 4 bullet proof vehicles and vests could protect them.

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