Domondon: The stinking few in the PNP

THE stink at the Philippine National Police (PNP) continues to permeate and reek at the very pores of the institution.

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee led by Senator Richard Gordon has its hands full in attempting to unravel the Gordian knot of the alleged existence of so called “ninja cops” and “agaw bato” schemes that involve dirty policemen and the illegal drugs “shabu” (methamphetamine hydrochloride).

In the continuing Senate investigation into the alleged involvement of policemen in the resale of confiscated or seized drugs it would appear as if the “agaw bato” operations is merely the tip of the iceberg of a much deeper pattern and malady of corruption that has pervaded the organization supposedly tasked with protecting the lives and property of the people.

The PNP is a very big organization second only to the Armed Force of the Philippines in size and population with 170,000 police officers. With just a few alleged dirty cops the very image and reputation of the PNP is already deeply marred and tarnished. But strictly speaking and to be honest about it no group of law enforcers with that big an organization can claim to being corrupt free. It is actually impossible for such a large organization such as the PNP or any other big group for that matter to be absolutely free from graft and corruption.

There will always be rotten tomatoes mixed in among those who believe in honestly serving the people and government. This is already a given and this is what the Senate investigation is trying to uncover, those despicable and dirty cops who, despite their sworn duty to serve the citizenry with utmost fidelity have taken it upon themselves to abuse their authority in the hopes of enriching themselves.

These few corrupt policemen who are supposed to protect and serve the people abused their authority to do illegal acts with the intent to satisfy their greedy predispositions. They should not only be demoted but should be dismissed outright. But looking more closely at the PNP organization itself there is that perception that somehow some of those with the authority and superiority over their colleagues have the inclination and tendency to protect selected subordinates. That perception is now seemingly validated with the revelations that have been made in the investigation by the Senate and that kind of protection system is not the buddy-buddy system but the so called “bata-bata system”.

This bata-bata system actually began way back when these high police officials were still learning the ropes as junior officers in the organization. To advance their careers they are wittingly or unwittingly attached to various commands led by different commanding officers. In the course of such assignments to various posts and as they climb the ladder of rank promotion in the organizational structure they are inadvertently or perhaps even deliberately seconded to commanding officers who are more than likely already their friend or trusted ally.

In other words under this bata-bata system when an “entitled” subordinate commits an infraction his commanding officer is around to either soften his fall from grace or even protect him from the fallout.

The question that needs to be asked is when will this bata-bata system stop? When will the PNP organization come to realize that it is this very system that encourages and protects the commission of corrupt and illegal acts done by a few rotten cops?

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