What will you do?  

“Police in Block 5, they always do that. They raid without a search warrant. There are raids every week.” “They destroy CCTV footage of the homeowners. Even children are being hurt. The child they manhandled is now traumatized. They are using their police powers to commit robbery. They keep doing that!” This is what the person who uploaded the viral video said in the vernacular where 10 Taguig police officers can be seen entering a house, without a warrant, intimidating and even manhandling the residents.

Because the incident was captured on CCTV, PNP chief, Police General Rommel Marbil, took immediate action. The 10 police officers were criminally charged. They will face multiple charges for what they did to the family. Aside from the charges, the 10 police officers were relieved, and their service firearms were taken. Gen. Marbil issued a stern warning to all police officers to be disciplined and professional. He said he would not be soft on those violating the law and PNP policies and procedures. If there was CCTV footage of the incident, the investigation should not take long, and the 10 erring police officers should be convicted. Homes should have CCTV cameras as part of their protection to capture any untoward incident. What happened to the PNP body cams? Were they ever used at all? Didn’t the government already spend on those cameras? What if there were similar incidents but without CCTV footage where the victims were too scared to talk or report it to the authorities?

The PNP's image cannot fully recover. No matter who leads this organization, there are still undesirable police officers. The scalawags keep showing up. Former President Duterte substantially raised their salaries, but for some, it is not enough. And ordinary citizens are always at the losing end. What will you do if 10 police officers forcefully enter your house, without a warrant and start threatening everyone while rummaging your belongings? What will you do? If you resist, you might get hurt or even shot and the police will come up with all sorts of narratives to justify their actions. Who guards those who swore to serve and protect the public?

Who doesn't want a police force that is honest, trustworthy, reliable in times of need, and highly respected? Several PNP chiefs have come and gone, all promising to clean up the ranks but end up short. The people deserve more than what seems like the status quo.