This is one controversy that the Philippine National Police (PNP) needs like a hole in the head.
We’re referring to the killing of South Korean national and former Hanjin executive Jee Ick-joo by a group of rogue policemen right inside Camp Crame.
The incident was said to have taken place in October last year, on the same day the Korean businessman had been abducted from his house in Angeles City, Pampanga, on the pretext that he had been involved in illegal drugs.
But this was actually a kidnap-for-ransom case, as the scalawag cops demanded—and got—P5 million from his wife, even when he was already dead and, in fact, had been cremated in a facility in Caloocan City owned by a former cop to hide evidence of the crime.
PNP chief Director General Ronald M. dela Rosa should leave no stone unturned in the investigation of this case, as this has already damaged the credibility of the institution, as well as President Duterte’s war on drugs.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson is right: Dela Rosa should refocus his sights in the campaign against illegal drugs and criminality, and closely monitor the conduct of the men and women in uniform, so that they adhere to the highest standards of performance, since the PNP is the primary law-enforcement agency of the government. Dela Rosa’s photographs showing him attending various functions, even singing in a rock concert, have been all over both mainstream and social media, aimed seemingly at maximum public exposure.
The top cop has made no secret of a possible run for a seat in the Senate, possibly in 2019, after his compulsory retirement next year. Is this the reason he is making himself very visible in both mainstream and social media as preparation for a senatorial bid in 2019?
The PNP chief should realize, however, he has a job to do at this juncture, which is to ensure that the war on illegal drugs succeeds without unnecessarily inviting flak or criticism that he tolerates wrongdoing and outright criminal activities by PNP officials and personnel.
Dela Rosa should avoid politicking while he is PNP chief, and instead ensure that the PNP adequately performs its mission as a competent, effective and credible law-enforcement institution.
We must remind dela Rosa that he should serve as an example to the PNP of competent leadership and dedication to duty, especially since the war on drugs is a top priority of the Duterte administration.
Round 3
Like many Filipinos, we hope that the third round of peace talks between the Philippine government and the communist-led National Democratic Front (NDF) that started last Thursday in Rome and will last until tomorrow, January 25, would eventually lead to a comprehensive peace agreement in the near future.
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus G. Dureza said the third round of talks centers on unfinished discussions on the proposed bilateral cease-fire and the release of prisoners.
Relate“The crucial agenda items on socioeconomic reforms, constitutional and political reforms and end of hostilities and disposition of forces are on the table for discussions. These issues, although difficult, are surmountable, with both sides sharing common aspirations for peace,” Dureza said. But Fidel Agcaoili, the NDF chief negotiator, is not as optimistic as Dureza, as he says ending one of Asia’s longest insurgencies with a peace pact would not be possible before 2019.
The NDF, Communist Party of the Philippines’s political arm, has warned that its guerrillas in the countryside want an end to their declaration of a unilateral cease-fire, as they had become frustrated with the government’s “broken promises”.
“The NDF goes into the third round of formal talks in Rome determined as always to persevere with the peace talks, but increasingly troubled by the other party’s sincerity,” Agcaoili said.
NDF leaders have said they would need at least two more years, after negotiators agree on a series of economic, social and political reforms before even beginning “serious discussions” on a final peace pact.
Duterte deserves commendation for paving the way for the resumption of the stalled peace talks with the NDF that could finally put an end to the longest-running Marxist insurgency in Asia.
Peace is what the nation needs so that we can go all-out in our socioeconomic development efforts, particularly in Mindanao. No less than 30,000 people are said to have died as a result of the armed conflict between the New People’s Army and the Philippine government. It’s time to end the conflict on the negotiating table, not in the battlefield.
E-mail: ernhil@yahoo.com.