PNP chief tells men: No benefit from siding with pols

CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna—Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ricardo Marquez has reminded police ground commanders to stay impartial in the coming elections amid a recent controversy involving four top ranking officers who have been accused of partisanship.

“There could not be an orderly elections if we side with politicians or any political party,” Marquez said here on Friday. “We benefit nothing from siding with any politician,” he added.

Marquez was at the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) police headquarters in Laguna province on Friday where he attended the inauguration of a newly renovated multipurpose hall, which was named after him.

Incidentally, one of the police generals involved, Chief Supt. Ronald Santos, is the deputy regional director here who shared the stage with Marquez when the top police official delivered his speech.

Santos, PNP directorate for intelligence chief, Chief Supt. Generoso Cerbo Jr., and Chief Superintendents Ranier Idio and Bernardo Diaz were spotted last Saturday at Novotel Hotel in Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City, where a meeting of Liberal Party was supposedly going on. Also seen with them was Maj. Gen. Oscar Lactao, inspector general of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

The Araneta Center is owned by the family of LP presidential candidate Mar Roxas.

Talking to reporters, Santos said he just happened to be around the vicinity with his family when invited for coffee by his classmates from the Philippine Military Academy.

“We give them the benefit of the doubt,” Marquez said. “Common sense dictates: Kung medyo ilegal ‘yung gagawin bakit sa hotel (If they would do something illegal, why hold a meeting in a hotel)?’ Marquez said on the sidelines of the event.

‘Like rags’ 

But in his speech, Marquez reiterated that personnel of the police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines should remain impartial in order to gain the trust of the public.

“Pinag-uusapan din tayo ng mga pulitiko: ‘ay, si PD (Provincial Director) pera lang katapat n’yan.’ (Or)  ay si PD, napakagaling na tao, pinadalhan ko ng isang trak ng pera pinabalik sa akin (Politicians talk about us. They would say, ‘Hey, PD just wants money. Or PD’s a good person, I sent him truckloads of money but he sent it back),” Marquez said.

“Akala n’yo ‘pag sumunod kayo sa isang pulitiko, proud na proud sa inyo? No. Ang tingin sa atin ay basahan (You think by siding with a politician it makes them proud of you? No, they see us like rags),” he added.

Fair elections

Marquez said he had been going around the country checking police preparation for the elections. At the recent command conference in Davao City, Marquez said they noticed a significant drop in the election-related shooting incidents—a sign that they are right on track regarding security plans.

He said he had also asked ground commanders to prepare a written security plan that involved other groups, like the Commission on Elections, municipal treasurers, and teachers.

“I urge you to (make) value-driven decisions during an event like the national elections,” Marquez told PNP officers here. “A measure of the success of the election is the impression that the election was fair,” he said. RC