Epidemic will hasten burial of bodies

The five policemen who were caught firing their guns on New Year’s Eve should be dismissed outright from the service.

Criminal cases should also be filed against them.

Policemen are supposed to be model citizens.

When they violate the law, they give the impression there is anarchy in this country.

The PNP leadership may want to start the New Year right by dismissing those trigger-happy cops.

It will send a strong message to the police rank and file, as well the PNP’s top officials, that breaches in discipline are no longer tolerated.

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There is one big hurdle in disciplining the PNP ranks: the National Police Commission (Napolcom).

The Napolcom, the governing body of the PNP, is the final arbiter of cases against policemen.

Most policemen who were ordered dismissed by the PNP for various grave offenses have been reinstated by the Napolcom.

A source at the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame said the Napolcom “seems to be coddling the bad eggs” by taking them back into the service.

This columnist, who has helped file administrative and criminal cases against abusive cops through my “Isumbong Mo kay Tulfo” public service program, can confirm the previous statement.

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Over the years, I have seen so many abusive cops, whose dismissals were facilitated by my public service show, get back into the service through the Napolcom.

The worst case is that of six new graduates of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA)—the counterpart of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA)—who beat an old woman black and blue during a celebratory party.

The new police inspectors (lieutenants in the military) were dismissed by then PNP chief Bobby Lastimoso, whom I approached on behalf of the poor woman.

I was dismayed to find out later that the Napolcom reinstated all the six new officers.

By this time, chances are those officers had been already promoted to chief inspector (the equivalent of a major in the military service).

I hate to think how many civilians they have oppressed since they were reinstated.

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Malacañang, apparently reacting to this column on Thursday, vowed to speed up the identification and burial of 1,400 corpses which have been left exposed to the elements in Tacloban City.

But Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma could not say when the bodies could be finally laid to rest.

Perhaps the government will start burying the bodies when an epidemic breaks out.

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Why do city hall employees of Makati, the most progressive city in the country, receive their salaries tucked inside envelopes?

Why hasn’t Makati City Hall adopted the automated teller machine (ATM) system, where employees receive their pay through the banks, instead of lining up for hours at the teller’s counter?

Answer: It’s very easy to manipulate the payroll in the old, archaic system so the Commission on Audit, which exposed the scheme, will have a hard time tracing “ghost” employees and other irregularities.

Only one or two persons can sign for the ghost employees so the money most probably ends up in the pockets of some corrupt Makati officials.

Now we know why the Makati City government is so awash with cash it can afford to give away P1,000 in cash and birthday cakes to senior citizens of the city on their birth anniversaries and on Christmas Day.

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