I GREW up in Baguio seeing policemen in blue uniforms. They were not too visible but as children, we respected them and feared them in a funny way. Our parents would tell us to behave “... be a good girl or a good boy...” because the police are always under watch and may carry us away the moment we misbehaved.
So there we were, timid in front of the police men, greeting them as we went home in our uniforms and them, in their blue spic and span uniforms too.
We were told that the police men of Baguio were better than those of other places...they were good... and they wore blue as compared with the policemen from other parts of the country, because our weather here had always been cold and we were likened to the countries abroad, specifically the USA where the police wore blue. Is this a remnant of the colonial mentality so prevalent then? During those days, policemen were good and very few were considered bad.
Today, news of erring policemen all over the country shocks the wits out of citizens. There is more bad news about policemen than good news! Some policemen, young ones mostly, are guilty of crimes like extortion, kidnapping for ransom, abuse of power and authority, drugs, robbery... killing while riding in tandem, ...name it. Du30 seems to be overwhelmed by their number and so are we, citizens of every part of this country.
The Baguio Police has a beautiful vision–mission statement as follows:
VISION: Imploring the aid of the Almighty, by 2030, we shall be a highly capable, effective and credible City Police Office working in partnership with a responsive community towards the attainment of a safer place to live, work, visit, study, and do business.
MISSION: Enforce the law, prevent and control crimes, maintain peace and order, and ensure public safety and internal security with the active support of the community. To ensure the implementation of the PNP P.A.T.R.O.L. Plan 2030 through efficient and effective strategies and innovations.
These passages I have read only on paper and I thought the Vision statement, while beautifully worded, dates to the year 2030 to implement or to reach. Perhaps the vision statement should be a daily endeavour of each police officer and the Mission statement is also practised on a daily basis in order to achieve this vision not only in 2030, but as each day passes.
Enforcing the law, preventing and controlling crimes, maintaining peace and order, and ensuring public safety and internal security with the active support of the community should always be a given. Perhaps, to achieve these, the higher police officers should really be good examples to their neophytes. To add, these acts should be practised on a daily basis, and underscored each day to every man in uniform serving the public for the good of society.
With criminology courses becoming so popular these days, values and ethics should be emphasized to become the foundation in honing and developing educated warriors for the good of society. Children should see our policemen as good and protectors of their rights, their safety, not otherwise.
To the Police Force in general and to the Baguio City Police in particular, do make us proud of you each day. You are our protectors, our saviours from harm, you carry our country’s future on your shoulders.
Take good care of your people and God bless you as you stay watch over the nation under your care!
Baguio, I love you!