In our column yesterday we asked what game is the top leadership in the Philippine National Police (PNP) and their commander-in-chief playing in connection with the designation of some four Officers-in-Charge of the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) in just a period of less than three months. Hopefully, we are looking forward that the latest to be designated head of the DCPO the other day, a colonel in the PNP who has been involved in several controversial police actions the latest of which was the raid of the compound of the family of ousted Congressman Arnulfo Teves in Negros Oriental, will be the last.
It is our take that if the series of designations in so short a period only is orchestrated by the PNP Commander-in-Chief, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., then he could be aping the game of former President Rodrigo Duterte. But whether the incumbent President is doing it right or poorly only succeeding events in Davao City can tell.
And why are we saying that PBBM is apparently doing a Duterte? Remember what FPRRD did when the former he decided once and for all to put a stop to the criminal activities of a family that lorded it over in a city in Northern Mindanao? He moved a controversial police colonel then assigned in a Visayan PNP command to that city. And in due time that colonel made a “miracle” that “swift off” the feet of the publicly known crime lord family. The rest is now history. The concerned city is now back to the normal that it used to be before the era of that family.
And seemingly the current top PNP leaders, or perhaps the President himself, may have wrongly perceived that there is a semblance of the supremacy of the current local leadership in Davao City to that of the concerned Northern Mindanao LGU. So, the top PNP leaders have to find one officer that may have the guts to do their bidding in Davao City should they find it necessary.
Really, if it is not what is in the minds of the top guns of the PNP how come that it took them so much time to identify the most qualified to head the Davao City Police Office? Why do they have to bring in “outsiders” to replace some of the police station commanders? If they are saying that the concerned station chiefs were infidel in the performance of their duties like hiding the real crime statistics why include in the relief then DCPO director Richard Bad-ang who was just less than a month into his post and therefore could not have any clue as to the past performance of his station commanders?
And if there are serious areas of concern as far as the leadership of the local government of Davao City that requires police action, then the PNP’s top leaders should have focused on addressing those concerns by allowing other law enforcement agencies to do the inquiry in the most discreet of manners.
What they are doing now – and we mean the closely gapped designations of OIC chief of the DCPO, and the relief of most DCPO commanders – is putting the city in a bad light and picturing the DCPO as an organization poorly led and staffed with unworthy uniformed personnel.
We can only hope that the performance of those who now head the DCPO and the replacement station commanders will prove us and most of Davaoenos’s suspicion on the real motives in the massive changes of leadership of the City police up to the station level, wrong.
*******************************
The other day, in an interview with the media in Davao City, Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio said she will not attend President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s third State of the Nation Address on July 22. When asked why, she said rather in a jestingly manner, that she is appointing herself as the “designated survivor.” The term “designated survivor” in politics is meant the person who is in the line of succession to assume the Presidency should the President is incapacitated when major catastrophic events occur. His or her assumption to the position is intended to prevent a vacuum in leadership.
Actually we find no wrong in what the VP said. Our only concern is that while her statement could be more of a joke rather than serious, still it could be interpreted in various ways, depending on who would do the interpretation
Think of this; under the Constitution she is next in line of succession. Therefore, should anything happen to the President during the SONA, as VP Sara will definitely assume the position of President. So if she is afraid that a catastrophic incident happens during the President’s SONA then she can always beg off from attending citing as reason any other important appointment, or even health concerns.
By saying that she is “appointing myself as the designated survivor”, she could be providing basis for her political enemies to create as many wild imaginations possible in their minds to fathom what the VP means.
And if indeed it was a joke, it was inappropriate for the Vice President.
