Thursday, March 08, 2007 Editorial: Glory and infamy
MEMBERS of Davao City Police Office were in the news Wednesday for foiling an attempt to rob a branch of a big drugstore chain in Toril. Through the grapevine in the underworld, members of the so-called City's Finest got wind of a holdup being planned at Mercury Drug store.
True enough, the police officers caught up with five armed men about to execute the early morning stickup. The holdup artists, apparently sensing the impending swoop by the cops, backed off but, instead of surrendering, engaged the lawmen in a shootout. When the gunsmoke cleared, three of the gangsters lay dead, while a police officer was wounded.
Good sleuthing and precise action carried the day for the cops. Monday was to be remembered as a glory day for the heroic enforcers.
It was the good news. The bad news was that the rogue cops competed for Wednesday's headlines by being caught on ABS-CBN camera, mulcting from motorists. The shoot was concrete confirmation of the talks that have
been going on for sometime now -- that traffic policemen, after having been almost decimated by the New People's Army liquidation squads in the 70s and
80s, are back to their old corrupt extorting habit and that they have in fact increased their usual "asking rate" from P50 during Martial Law to not less than P100 per apprehension now. Cargo trucks are worse off; they are being fleeced by the thousands of pesos just on a trip from Davao del Norte to Davao City.
The "kotong" cops made Monday not a heroic day but a day of infamy for the DCPO, embarrassing Sr. Supt. Jaime Morente, newly installed city police director.
Should be red-faced as well is Chief Supt. Andres Caro, Region 11 Police director, as the "kotong" cops of the cities of Tagun and Panabo were also caught on the ubiquitous ABS-CBN camera mulcting money from motorists.
Both gentlemen -Caro and Morente- have their baptism of fire in the shameful episode, which could unmake them. But they can turn the sorry incidents into an opportunity to show grit. They must have the incidents investigate immediately and let the heads roll.
