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Monday, July 01, 2002
At last the ax fell
By Ben Pascual
I THOUGHT I was dreaming when I heard the radio broadcast last June 26 that the Napolcom chaired by DILG Sec. Joey Lina had promulgated a resolution directing the immediate relief from their present assignments three police regional directors, two district police director and two provincial police directors for their deliberate failure to curb out illegal gambling particularly jueteng operations in their respective area of responsibilities (AOR) which is an open defiance to Napolcom Memo 002.
The police officers ordered sacked are Deputy Director Edgar Aglipay of NCRPO, Chief Supt. Renaldo Berroya of Region 3, Chief Supt Domingo Reyes of Region 4, Chief Supt Avelino Razon of Region 7, Chief Supt Nicolas Pacinos of WPD, Sr. Supt Supt Jose Antonio Salvacion of Cebu province and SSupt Leonilo dela Cruz of Laguna.
I am aware that Lina's action was the aftermath of his rage and shame upon knowing that the President was prepared to barter him with Senator Vicente Sotto for the DILG post, but nevertheless I did not expect he could sack Berroya just like that if we were to take into account the latter's clout with the present administration and his direct access to the President who even graced his recent birthday celebration in Camp Olivas.
But as things start to recoil in their proper places, it appears that Lina is one of the cabinet members who failed to pass the evaluation of his performance by the Chief Executive and before he would let his head roll on Malacañang's chopping board, Lina axed the heads of the top seven police officers cited above whom he believed were instrumental in his inclusion in the President's list of non-performing assets (NPA's).
On the same day that their reliefs were announced, Aglipay, Berroya, Reyes Pacinos and Razon trooped to Camp Crame and requested PNP Director General Leandro Mendoza a reconsideration of their reliefs, but the latter was mum about it, realizing perhaps he will only be banging his head on a concrete wall out of frustration if he will entertain the appeal of his distressed field commanders.
I am more than certain that Lina's order is cleared by the President, for if it is not, he would be incurring more the President's wrath because reassignment of the police officers affected requires a Presidential clearance. As things stand now, the President does not want to interfere with Lina's order, a positive indication that she had cleared it before it was announced.
Perhaps Pres. GMA came to realize that rampant gambling especially here in Pampanga is one of the contributory factors that was eroding her credibility that led to the sudden dip of her approval rating in the latest SWS survey. Of course the first instinct of man is self-preservation and this proven rule is likewise applicable to political survival. The president must save her political fortune before considering anything else.
There are so many good citizens in this country who can immediately replace even a dozen Lina, Berroya etc. What is paramount is to recoup her lost popularity rating considering that 2004 is fast approaching. And weeding out undesirables in her government is one way to refurbish her tattered image.
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IF we are to have a no-nonsense campaign against illegal gambling particularly jueteng at least here in Pampanga, I think it would be for the best interest of the campaign to replace the present OIC of the Pampanga Police Office (PPO) with somebody who has the spinal column to fight this nefarious illegal numbers game and at least with the moral fiber to resist the tempting offer of weekly payolas running to thousands or millions of pesos which has long been a public knowledge since time immemorial.
It is an undeniable fact that where there is jueteng, police and civil officials in that particular municipality are in the payroll of its operators. I noted that when SSupt Arturo Cacdac assumed command of the Angeles City Police Office (ACPO) several months ago, he pledged to wipe out practically all crimes within our statutes, but never mentioned jueteng which was a flourishing cottage industry in that city.
True enough, he did not lift even a finger against jueteng during his stint in ACPO. It took the NBI to conduct simultaneous raids in the cities of Angeles and San Fernando to cripple the jueteng operations of Melchor Caluag alyas Ngo-ngo, now a candidate for Brgy. Captain in Brgy. Dolores in this city where he resides.
Those NBI raids prompted the now relieved RPO3 Director Reynaldo Berroya to air his protests and crowed that raids on illegal gamblings are his exclusive domain. The protesting police director only shut up when he learned that the NBI was obliged to step in due to the report of Cong. Francis "Blue Boy" Nepomuceno that one of his constituents had complained to him of death threats arising from conflict of interests in the unabated jueteng operations in his turf.
Cacdac is one of Berroya's men who was unceremoniously pulled out of Angeles City and surreptitiously posted as OIC of Pampanga Police Office without even the knowledge of Governor Lito Lapid which almost prompted the latter to bolt the Lakas NUCD.
The Governor minced no words when he complained of having been "Binastos" by Berroya. Since Cacdac's assignment as OIC of PPO, there was not even an attempt to stop jueteng in the province especially here in the City of San Fernando. Paging Secretary Joey Lina.
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THE President did the right thing when she ordered a halt to the search and retrieval operations of the body of Abu Sabaya who was riddled with bullets by the SWAG of the Philippine Marines about a week ago while attempting to escape aboard a speedboat from Sibuco, Zambo del Norte to Sulu so that all the operating units of the AFP in Southcom could concentrate their efforts in tracking down the remaining top Commanders of the Abu Sayyaf.
It is enough that we are morally convinced that Sabaya was killed and it does not matter if his body is not retrieved. For those doubting Thomases about Sabaya's death, that is their privilege, so let them stay put in the limbo of their speculations.
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I AM convinced that the letter of Pres. GMA dated June 26 "accepting the resignation" of VP Teofisto Guingona as DFA Secretary circulated by Actg. Press Secretary Silvestre Afable to the media was a calculated move on the part of the Palace to ease out Guingona of his post to give way for the take over of Senator Blas Ople as Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and a part of its continuing effort to gain a clear majority in the Senate.
I am also convinced that Guingona could have made some passing remarks about his resignation during the height of his dispute with the Chief Executive over the Balikatan Exercises 02-1 and Term of Reference from where the President anchored her letter circulated by Afable to Malacañang reporters.
It was Guingona's bluff that was called by the President causing the former to rush to Malacañang and with bended knees perhaps, he asked for an apology. This prompted the Chief Executive to reconsider her decision. Apparently not mollified by his retention as DFA Secretary, realizing perhaps that his relief remains as a Sword of Damocles dangling over his head, Guingona tried to get even with the President by announcing that he will run for President in the 2004 elections.
He said he is now studying who will be his running mate. Contacted for comment in the morning of June 29, Joey Rufino, Executive Director of Lakas-NUCD was "iwas-pusoy" claiming that he had not yet read the morning papers. Lalo yatang gumugulo ang bayabasan ni Ate Glo. |
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