From our source in Camp Crame we learned that as of the weekend more than 50 percent of policemen with rank of General have already submitted their courtesy resignation in compliance with the call of Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Ben Hur Abalos, Jr.
We are certain that those who have complied are sure they have not committed any infraction against their sworn duty and that they have clear conscience. Thus, they definitely feel assured of being retained.
What about the remaining Generals who have not submitted their courtesy resignation? To our mind, the longer they delay their submission the stronger will be the people’s suspicion that in one way or another they are the ones into the illegal drugs business either as direct participants or protectors.
This reminds us of one police colonel who was strongly run after by the government of then President Rodrigo Duterte because of his alleged connection with drug syndicates. His name now escapes our memory. But we know that at the height of his controversy he went into hiding but managed to surface every so often and gave statements to the media trying to disparage the anti-drug campaign of the previous government.
From our recollection there were cases filed against him. But when some other controversial issues surfaced in the second half of the Duterte administration the heat against the colonel seemed to have died down. Eventually, nothing came out of his case until now. Even the usually nosy media seem to have forgotten about him.
Perhaps that police colonel may now be living the high life using the money he might have amassed during his engagement in the illegal drugs business.
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It has been almost a month since the killing of one Yvonette Plaza in front of her residence in a subdivision in Mintal, Davao City. Unfortunately, we have yet to hear of any positive development on her case. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has in fact already come into the picture to help in the investigation.
If it is taking the police and the NBI probers too much difficulty in drawing to the surface the suspected killers and the mastermind, then it is likely that the crime was very well planned and the possible brains could be one who knows how to evade all aspects of crime investigation.
We can only hope that the probers from both the police and the NBI will be able to come up with positive leads that could lead them to the perpetrators. The longer they’d be unable to do so the more they lose the people’s trust in their capability to protect them or help crime victims get the justice due.
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Middle of last week we saw the depth of the flood that inundated the portion of the Bukidnon-Davao Highway specifically at Kilometer 22 in Los Amigos crossing leading to Biao Guianga. It was the second time that we witnessed the area flooded. The first one was some years back. During that flood we were on our way to our rural residence and we had to go back to our house in Catalunan Grande because had we continued our trip we would have risked falling into the deep canals on both sides of the road leading to our place. The road was submerged in water and we could not see any portion of the concrete pavement as the depth was already more than half of the circumference of our vehicle’s tires.
Why are we bringing this up? It is because we feel that it is long overdue for the problem to be looked into by either the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) or the City Engineer’s Office (CEO).
These agencies of the national and local government should be made aware – if they are not yet – that in the lower side of that BUDA highway rolling towards Talomo River are residential subdivisions including the one used as relocation area funded by a corporate giant. The Los Amigos Elementary School and the Los Amigos National high School, all populous public educational institutions are also located along that stretch of the highway.
If the government is to avoid any future untoward incidents as well as serious damage to infrastructures and private residential and commercial buildings, and even loss of lives, it is time that they should visit the place and come up with flood prevention and other mitigation projects in that area.
