Do right by law, Leni exhorts cops

Vice President Leni Robredo INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA

AMID the rising number of drug suspects being killed in police operations or by alleged vigilantes, Vice President Leni Robredo yesterday called on the Philippine National Police  to do what’s right in enforcing the law.

Robredo, in a speech on the 4th  anniversary of the PNP Center for Police Strategy Management (CPSM), did not directly address the killings but focused instead  on challenging the police to have moral courage and to foster public trust.

“Our society faces many problems. Every one of us desires change. But the means for change is important for our peace, not just the kind of change that we aspire for. All Filipinos dream of a society without drugs and crime. But how we will achieve this is as important as the dream itself,” she said.

Robredo reminded the police: “Being excellent in our sworn jobs to serve and protect our countrymen is not all about what we do in the line of fire. It also means building the stability of institutions that keep the peace. It’s not about deciding who dies or who lives. It’s also about making sure that when the fighting dies down, what’s left is a community that trusts more than fears. A community that can live together in peace.”

“After all, we don’t just live on brute force or strength. We live on moral courage, which is far more rare than bravery in the line of fire,” she said.

The Vice President said she was impressed by policemen who did their job well and did not yield to temptation. She lauded PNP Director General Ronald dela Rosa, who related last week how he rejected millions of pesos in bribes from illegal gambling operations.

The CPSM  oversees PNP Patrol Plan 2030, or the PNP Integrated Transformation Program-Performance Governance System, one of whose aims is to reduce corruption in the police service.