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Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Editorial: Halfhearted compliance
WHEN the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) raided a girly bar along Lacson street last week, it rescued several girls, two of them underaged, from what appears to be a forced labor.
The girls, as reported, were recruited in Cebu to work as waitresses at a restaurant in Bacolod but ended up as guest relations officers, a work that may not be as dignified as those in other countries.
Not all the girls liked their fate though. Thus, several escaped to tell their story.
Although the swift move of the NBI-Bacolod led by Phillip Pecache is commendable, there is one objectionable thing point - He refused to name the club manager, who was supposedly arrested during the raid, and the name of the club owner.
He reportedly cited a law, which prevented him from naming names.
Why the need to protect the identity of the floor manager? Would Pecache be criminally charged if he did? What is he afraid of?
Had not some of the girls escaped to seek help, would Pecache have raided the bar? Would he have enough courage to do that?
Even assuming that Pecache's refusal to reveal the name of the floor manager is legal, it could not erase the cloud of doubt that hang over him.
In law enforcement, an officer of the law must be bold enough lest he risks being interpreted as easily cowed or, worse, on the take.
Rescuing the girls is one merit for the NBI. Now, steps have to be taken to ensure that the cases heaped against those who abused the girls continue until those charged are judged according to what they have done.
But the suspicion that hangs on Pecache's head and the unit must be dispelled or it shall continue to raise brows and suspicion among the general public.
(June 27, 2006 issue)
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