“The police are not here to create disorder, they’re here to preserve disorder.” –Richard J. Daley
When will the final cleansing of the Philippine National Police (PNP) end? Is there an ongoing and protracted cleansing process in the first place?
Every time a PNP director-general retires and a successor takes over, the battle cry of the incoming chief has always been, “We will cleanse the PNP [of] scalawags and bad eggs,” “We will reform the PNP,” “We will dismiss the ‘rotten apples,’” etc.
Since the PNP was formed on January 29, 1991, Police Chief Superintendent Cesar P. Nazareno, the first PNP big boss since the Integrated National Police and the Philippine Constabulary were merged, pursuant to Republic Act 6975, was already parroting “reforms” and promising to kick out undesirable policemen from service.
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“My first instruction to incoming PNP chief Oscar Albayalde [was] to go after PNP personnel who [were] a disgrace to their uniform; especially those AWOL, sleeping, non-performing, and drinking on the job,” Department of the Interior and Local Government officer-in-charge Eduardo Año said over the weekend. “All of them should be dismissed from the service.”
After 27 years, the PNP isn’t reformed yet? “Scoundrels in uniform” aren’t terminated yet?
“I told General Albayalde to cleanse the police ranks of bad eggs in order to make the DILG the best department in government,” Año added. “PNP leadership should conduct more surprise inspections so that we can weed out non-performing police officers.”
It seems the PNP is the only organization in the world permanently embroiled in an ongoing appeal for “internal cleansing” and “reform.”
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Tourism officials in nearby provinces should come up with master plans to promote their respective destinations and take advantage of the six-month closure order, imposed by President Rodrigo Duterte, on Boracay, located in Caticlan, Aklan, effective April 26.
Tourists canceling reservation in Boracay might be interested in exploring neighboring Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, and Negros, where there are pristine beaches, waterfalls, and world-class resorts like Boracay.
Now is the right time to mobilize resources and show the world Boracay is not the end-all and be-all of tourism wonders on Panay island.
They could take a cue from the recent announcement by Iloilo Governor Arthur ‘Art’ Defensor Sr. in his establishment of a Northern Iloilo Tourism Authority (NITA).
Defensor probably intends to attract those tantalized by Boracay’s beauty to take a closer look at Sicogon Island, in Carles, among other beaches located along the coastal territories of northern Iloilo with potential in the global tourism market.
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Was President Duterte wrong to fire Undersecretary Maia Chiara Halmen Valdez of the Office of the Cabinet Secretary a year ago?
Valdez was fired for supposedly seeking to overturn the denial of rice importation as National Food Authority (NFA) Administrator Jason Aquino had been pushing for more rice imports.
The president has since ordered Aquino to proceed with rice importation, amid the dwindling supply of government-subsidized grain, exactly a year after giving Valdez the boot./WDJ