What kind of
cops do we have?

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor GUILLERMO TEJIDA III Desk Editor NANETTE L. GUADALQUIVER Busines Editor ERIC T. LORETIZO Sports Editor (On Leave) RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

The mayor of a southern town in Negros Occidental appealed recently to the provincial Governor to help her have the Police Chief of her town replaced. The reasons she gave were that the head of the town police force could not control his men and, in fact, only six cops out of the entire force were displaying tolerable behavior.

Mayor Liberty Manzano was quite detailed in her complaint. She said the policemen do not wear their uniforms even when they were supposed to be on detail at the municipal building. Those on duty in the station were seen playing mah-jong or another game, called tong-its, in game houses. She also said policemen on duty at the town hall at night do not go to the comfort rooms but relieve themselves near the entrance to the building causing a stink in the area. The ground near the building's flagpole is used as a barbecue site where, she said, the cops grill fish on charcoal and do not even dispense of the embers afterwards.

Those are almost the exact words of the mayor's complaint as presented to the Governor and the head of the Negros Occidental Provincial Police Office. Why neither she, nor any other town official or concerned citizen had initiated charges against such policemen is not clear.

And then Sunday, this time in northern Negros Occidental, New People's Army men swooped on a Police Assistance Center in Brgy. Malasibog, Escalante City, while its men were having breakfast, made the staff lie on the ground, took their weapons, personal belongings, and even uniforms and a cellphone, without encountering any resistance. Nobody was hurt because not a single shot was fired. For the rebels, the caper must have been as easy as taking candy from a baby! What kind of policemen do we have serving our towns and cities? Some behave like spoiled brats, others like helpless children. There are exceptions, of course, the Candoni mayor even said she had six in her town. But can our peace and order as well as our very security be assured, knowing that many of those who are supposed to protect us are like those?*