Successes of CID: Restoring our faith in the PNP

Starting from July 17 to 23 is the observance of the 35th National Disability Prevention and Rehab Week. This year's theme is "Building an Inclusive and Non-Handicapping Environment for Persons with Disabilities." The annual observation of Disability Week is mandated by Proclamation No.361 and Administrative Order No. 35 urging all government and NGOs to promote relevant activities for PWDs. As for me, let me just give you a little reminder… being disabled is just an accident or an illness away. One wrong move or one unexpected disease and you could join the ranks of the PWDs.

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I rarely go home at 5:00PM, but somehow, despite my busy schedule,  I was done early with my work last Wednesday, so I felt the need to go home earlier than usual. It was then that I tuned to our local TV news and searched the channels and I ended up seeing for the first time my good friend, SunStar Daily columnist Frank Malilong doing his newscast on Aksyon Bisaya over TV5.  Of course, another good friend of mine, GMA-7 veteran newscaster Super Bobby Nalzaro apparently had similar news reports.

What caught my attention was the report coming from Criminal Investigation Division Chief Inspector Romeo Santander who bagged via a buy-bust operation, the young Ken Kenneth Rosales for allegedly selling illegal drugs seized in his home in Mabolo. This young fellow is reportedly dealing cocaine and ecstasy pills. Without this undercover operation by the CID, I wonder how many more poor kids would end up as junkies.

I was alerted into our problems of illegal drug because I just came from my taped interview with Cebu City's Anti-Drug Czar Atty. Paul Oaminal for my TV show Straight from the Sky which we would be airing this coming Monday. What I learned from that talk with Atty. Oaminal is that corruption within the ranks of the police are one of the principal causes why the drug menace continues to grow unchecked even in this day and age of the so-called "daang matuwid."

The other news report was about that other "sting" operation along Mango Square when young teenage girls were arrested for selling their bodies to male customers. As the news report pointed out in a police video, the pimp was herself a 16-year-old girl studying in night high school. These girls have since been turned over to the Department of Social Welfare & Development's (DSWD) Crisis Intervention Unit (CIU). So it is now the job of the DSWD to inform the parents of these girls about the predicament they are in.

I have no doubt that here in Region 7, the Regional Anti-Trafficking Task Force has been quite active in saving poor girls from a life of prostitution. We've been a keen observer of CNN's Freedom Project which also features our white slavery problems in the Philippines. But then again, we already know that white slavery will always remain a problem if we don't haul to court those ugly policemen giving "protection" to this illicit form of business and that includes the illegal drug trade.

I was dismayed last week when the Philippine National Police (PNP) came out on top of the most corrupt government agency. At this point, I would like to pinpoint the problem directly on the PNP leadership. Pres. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino, III cannot be blameless for the PNP's dismal record, after all, he personally chose the top PNP officers.

But perhaps the most telling part of all was when Atty. Oaminal told me that he has prepared P5,000 to anyone who can prove that Pres. PNoy Aquino mentioned about the illegal drug trade in any of his State of the Nation Addresses (SONAs). To date, no one has come to claim that money. This only proves to us that if and when the Office of the President closes its eyes away from the drug menace, it can only mean one thing… that many of their political allies are into what we call "narco-politics."

But going back to last Wednesday afternoon when I was watching the local TV news… it was very comforting to note that CID Chief Romeo Santander was doing a great job in having those buy-bust operations that helps rid our city with society's unwanted vermin. I have no doubt in my mind that there are thousands of men and women in the ranks of the PNP who are truly dedicated in their work to help protect our people and even if I have not yet met Chief Inspector Romeo Santander allow me to give him a snappy salute for restoring our faith in the PNP.

Meanwhile the PNP officialdom still has to answer to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on what happened to the leaders of the Ozamiz Gang Ricky Cadavero and Wilfredo Panogalinga and what happened to the supporters of Malot Galenzoga who were arrested sans any arrest warrants and that Davao City "rubout". These incidents give a black eye to the PNP.

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