Editorial: A friendly reminder about tolerance

SO, DAVAO City Police Office (DCPO) now has a new director after Senior Superintendent Michael John Dubria accepted the offer to become the senior executive assistant of Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Ronald dela Rosa.

Let's all welcome Senior Superintendent Alexander Tagum and hope that he will imbibe the kind of police service Davao has been lucky to have through the years, that of living up to the motto of "To Protect and to Serve," with a stress on protecting and serving the people and not any particular politician. It is in living up to this motto that Davao policemen have been regarded with respect and trust by the people.

Even PNP Chief Dela Rosa, as DCPO chief, lived up to that and implemented the Oplan Tokhang where he himself led his personnel to reach out to drug suspects and talk to them, cajoling those who can still be encouraged to changed their lifestyle and threatening those who are so deep into the illegal drug trade. All the time, it has always been to reach out and seek out the problem first.

Why are we stressing this? It's because while we do not personally know Tagum nor has he been assigned anywhere near, his name has been imprinted in our minds as the violent dispersal of the protests of starving farmers in Kidapawan City just over a year ago, last April 2, 2016 was under his stint as the chief of police of the province at that time. As is often said, first impressions last, and sad to say, that is our first impression of Tagum.

His appointment as DCPO chief came just two days before the New People's Army came out with its indictment of government officials whom it has accused of having masterminded and implemented the massacre of poor farmers in Kidapawan City where he is among those indicted.

How he was pictured to be in the news right after that bloody dispersal that saw farmers shot and killed and denied access to rice donations sent over by Dabawenyos may not reflect who he really is, but the fact remains that the bloody dispersal is now part of how Tagum became known to the public outside of the city he once served in.

The lesson? Serve and protect the people, never any political interest. For as long as Tagum abides by that mantra, then Davao City, which has been known to be tolerant of protests and rebellion, will be in good hands and people will never fear that their rights will be violated by those in uniform.

Good luck, sir. Prove us wrong.

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