THE head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Tuesday lauded the National Police’s program to change its “problematic image.”

Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, CBCP president, was referring to the police’s transformation program being imlemented by the National Police Training Institute (PNTI) in Calamba City, where Christian values are taught.

This year, the academy started offering new police recruits with modules on Life in the Spirit Seminar, Basic Bible Seminar, Heroism Christian Leadership, Values and Leadership and Empowering Decisions to Change.

The seminars are anchored on the vision of a “God-centered, service-oriented and family-based” agency.

“I encourage this healthy initiative which I consider as a step towards a new image of policemen. I congratulate the leadership of the National Police for allowing and empowering this initiative among the ranks,” said Lagdameo.

He added that the National Police’s move “brings a wind of fresh air in the otherwise rigid military-like training of the police force,” which he claimed will “certainly ignite spaces of hope in our already problematic situation.”

Lagdameo called it a “redeeming factor” in the midst of awful news hounding the police hierarchy.

“In the mind of many people, the National Police is the second-most corrupt agency in government. That picture is changing for the better,” he said.

Headed by Chief Supt. Samson Tucay, the PNTI is a major component unit of the Philippine Public Safety College that is envisioned to become the main training ground for morally upright and competent uniformed men and women.

The training institutes also hopes to start a working relationship with parish organizations and parish priests in order to develop further their formation in Christian life.

Lagdameo said the priests as well as other parish organizations could lend them their pastoral and evangelizing experience. He said PNTI graduates could also become lay ministers.

He advised the institute’s officials that for their students to have a real evangelizing experience, “one initial step would be to motivate the graduates to share their values and leadership experiences with the parish communities where they are stationed.”              

He said such initiative would develop and enhance mutual trust, based on proactive rather than reactive relationship.

THE Supreme Court (SC) has cancelled the bail posted by the widow of former government corporate counsel Jun Valerio and ordered her arrest and detention for allegedly masterminding the killing of her husband seven years ago.

THE Senate ways and means committee is reviewing proposals to overhaul and amend the Tariff and Customs Code and other related laws as Congress crafts remedial legislation aimed at curbing rampant smuggling that has resulted in forgone revenues amounting to some P300 billion yearly.

THIS is how the vaunted government antismuggling effort is being conducted—with sacred cows—as witnessed when the Bureau of Customs (BOC) was almost in disarray after “Big Mama” arrived in a huff and demanded immediate release of computer accessories shipped from Hong Kong.

THE Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday ordered the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to refund or issue a tax- credit certificate to Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) in the amount of P107.64 million representing overpaid income taxes for the years 1987 and 1988.

ZAMBOANGA CITY—A number of US troops stationed in Western and Central Mindanao areas will be replaced as part of the standard rotation of US military personnel deployed in the Southern Philippines, a Philippine military official said.

THE head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Tuesday lauded the National Police’s program to change its “problematic image.”