SHIT happens, as former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief and now Senator Ronald dela Rosa used to say, but the important thing is how our law enforcers react to the sordid and indelicate things that occur in and out of the police force.
The series of official actions taken by current PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. on two recent cases are timely, swift and commendable, especially if these would later result in the conviction of the suspects.
General Acorda Jr. is monitoring compliance to his directive of an intensified manhunt against the remaining suspect in the killing of a radio broadcaster in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro. Special investigation task group (SITG) “Bunduquin” has been formed by Brig. Gen. Joel Doria, regional director of Police Regional Office IV-B, to probe the killing of Cresenciano Aldovino Bunduquin, 50, a radio host at DWXR 101.7 Kalahi FM.
Police investigators in Calapan City are looking into various angles to identify the suspects and the possible motives behind the killing. They have established that one of the gunmen was killed during a hot pursuit operation by the police. Acorda said the capture of the remaining assailant is the top priority of the SITG headed by Oriental Mindoro provincial director Col. Samuel Delorino.
‘While violations of rules continue to happen even within the ranks of the police, Filipinos are reassured that things will get better with Generals Acorda, Doria and De Leon doing their job well.’
The same speedy action was displayed by yet another PNP unit, the Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) led by Brig. Gen. Warren de Leon, with the arrest of the station commander in Angeles City in Pampanga and six other policemen for extorting money from arrested law offenders in exchange for dropping the charges against them.
Nabbed were Maj. Marvin Aquino, commander of the Angeles City Police Station 2; M/Sgt. Romulo Meligrito; S/Sergeants Nikko Marquez and Mark Sison; Cpls. Richard Gozum, Diosdado Villamor, and Jaypee Mangilit; and civilian assistant Esmael Arviola.
De Leon said the operation stemmed from the complaint of a relative of a suspected drug offender, who claimed they were being asked to pay P30,000 in exchange for not filing a drug case against their arrested kin.
“During the conduct of inspection at the detention cell, it was found out that 13 persons were arbitrarily detained without any single complaint filed against them up to the time of operation,” said De Leon. He also said that there was no entry at the official police blotter and in the CIRAS (Crime Information Reporting and Analysis System) of the station in relation to the arrest and other circumstances causing the detention of the victims.
While violations of rules continue to happen even within the ranks of the police, Filipinos are reassured that things will get better with Generals Acorda, Doria and De Leon doing their job well.
