MANILA, Philippines – The chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday said he hoped to meet with Vice President and concurrent Education Secretary Sara Duterte soon so they could discuss how they could work together to crack down on crime and keep schools safe.
General Rodolfo Azurin Jr. made the statement after he was asked about the seeming difference between his directive to give criminals a second chance after suffering retribution, and Duterte’s earlier command for the government to show “no mercy” to criminals upon her designation as the country’s officer-in-charge while the President conducts a series of state visits.
But Azurin pointed out that these two orders are not necessarily contrasting.
“Iyong ‘no mercy to criminals,’ maraming konteksto kasi iyan eh. Pwede naman na no mercy to criminals, hulihin natin at ipakulong natin. That’s part of [showing] no mercy to criminals. Hindi naman ibig sabihin na we go to the extent of the insinuations ng iba,” he said during a presser at Camp Crame in Quezon City.
(The directive to show ‘no mercy to criminals’can be interpreted in a variety of ways, depending on the circumstance. No mercy to criminals can mean apprehending them and accordingly punishing them. That’s part of showing no mercy to criminals. It doesn’t always mean that we go to the extent of what other people are insinuating.)
Azurin then noted that he hopes to meet with Duterte to talk about their common approach against criminality and their plans for safeguarding students as well as teaching and non-teaching personnel in school settings.
“Definitely, I have plans to see our Vice President whether she’s the officer-in-charge or not, kasi naging busy lamang po ako sa mga nagdaang araw. But that’s one of my bucket list na I have to see the Vice President, not just as the number two sa atin, but also as the DepEd Secretary,” he said.
(Definitely, I have plans to see our Vice President whether she’s the officer-in-charge or not. I was just busy these past few days, but it is on my bucket list to see the Vice President not just as the second top official, but also as the DepEd Secretary.)
The importance of PNP and DepEd working closely together to maintain school safety was reemphasized by Azurin.
In response to a surge in crimes committed against women and young people, the PNP has been working with the DepEd.
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