Cleansing the police ranks

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor CHERYL CRUZ Desk Editor PATRICK PANGILINAN Busines Editor NIDA A. BUENAFE Sports Editor RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

The incident in Manila involving two policemen who attempted to extort money from a young man they accused of allegedly indulging in the non-criminal act of “phone sex” is an important eye-opener to all civilians who have been bewailing the shameful behavior of many so-called law enforcers, who themselves are the ones, not only violating, but actually twisting the interpretation of the law for their own criminal activities.

Unfortunately for the two policemen, they had picked the worst victim they could find, because he happened to be the son, not only a police official, but, in fact, the newly appointed head of the entire police organization in the National Capital Region.

As the report went, the young man was making a phone call to a friend while in his car that was parked at a well-populated area of Quezon City. The two, well, at least one of them, the older and more seasoned cop, approached the vehicle and demanded for cash from the driver, threatening to charge him for allegedly making an indecent call on his cell phone.

And he even went to the extent of driving the boy’s car to where there was an ATM machine, to force him to withdraw the amount he wanted. Luckily for the driver, he managed to call his father and ask him to talk to his tormentor. When the cop learned who his would-be victim was, he immediately fled, and as of yesterday, had gone missing from his home.

There is no doubt that the crooked cop will be found, with all the resources of the police organization in the region looking for him. And, we hope that this time, he will not get away with it, as in the seven other charges that had earlier been filed against him. These are the kind of policemen who are a shame to the organization, and who also shame our country before the world as some of them have done this kind of operation against visitors and foreigners, too.

Let this case set an example that could, hopefully, deter those of similar mind from engaging in such practices again. And this can happen only if those who have been victimized work up the courage to report and confront them.*