Protectors of the people

To protect and serve

Every time I see a member of the Philippine National Police, I can’t help but feel sad. The constitution stipulates that they must serve and protect the society. But this isn’t happening. They bring fear and distrust to people, instead. This was my perception. Then, until I enrolled in a school where I have two police classmates.

While I was looking over my baby who’s in the hospital due to flu, I received a message from my police classmate detailed in South Cotabato asking if we know of someone who can provide them a chemical that dissolves rocks so they can rescue miners trapped in a tunnel in North Cotabato.

This one single, genuine act of my classmate made me realize that the PNP force is changing for the better. They are not anymore the corrupt, good-for-nothing mulcting cops who sleep on the job and won’t budge an inch unless you give them some “padulas” or “kotong.” They’re willing to render assistance even to those who are not within their area of responsibility.

The good things that we’ve been hearing about the PNP are the fruits of the moral transformation program that Napolcom chairman and Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronnie Puno is helping the police organization implement on his watch.

Puno, who has always fiercely defended the PNP from criticisms, lobbied, cajoled and begged Malacañang to increase his Department’s budget to enable the PNP to acquire more patrol cars, guns and other equipment; build more police stations; refurbish their tanks and patrol boats; raise the salaries of its personnel; and provide retirees with more pension benefits.

Napolcom vice-chair Ed Escueta pointed out during a Napolcom affair that Puno has done much on his current watch as Napolcom chairman to improve the living and working conditions of our police officers.

We can see for ourselves that what Escueta said was true.

Police stations have been refurbished; many of our police officers now have spanking new patrol cars and motorcycles, and in some districts, they even carry Blackberries and use GPS systems to track down violators of the law.

Puno wants to make both our police officers, and the people they serve, proud of what they are doing as “protectors of the people,” in keeping with the PNP mantra “to serve and protect.”

Sen. Ed Angara, who delivered the keynote speech during the Napolcom anniversary celebration, likewise credited Puno for having the “vision and energy” in helping transform the Napolcom into a “well-structured, well-directed” agency that exercises control and supervision over the PNP.

Thanks to Ronnie, we now have reliable police force who are true to their mandate of protecting and serving the people.