What’s happening to our police?

IN a nutshell, the current state of our national police can be summed up by the Filipino saying: Lahat ng gubat may ahas.

While definitely, the majority of our uniformed enforcers are upright and sworn to uphold the law, a few sore thumbs stick out every now and then.

The actions of the latter wayward individuals have given rise to such derogatory terms as ninja cops (who recycle and resell illegal drugs seized in operations), kotong cops (those involved in extortion), tulog cops (those who sleep while on duty), AWOL cops (those absent without leave). You name it.

Two well-publicized “kotong cop” cases were reported in Muntinlupa and in Manila recently.

They involved more or less the same modus operandi.

The rogue policemen would stage some phony police operation (antidrug or anti-illegal trafficking), arrest the victims, and extort money in exchange for their release.

If the victims fail to come across, charges are filed which inevitably land the victims in some smelly, overcrowded detention center. Some of those arrested are often denied bail for the duration of their trial.

Unfortunately for the kotong cops in the last two cases, the victims sought the assistance of police higher ups. In subsequent entrapment operations, the rogue cops were caught with the marked money which the intended victims handed them.

It is to the credit of the police bosses that “internal cleansing operations” prove successful every now and then. Still, the police authorities can only shake their heads in disgust. These rogue cops have just had their salaries practically doubled by President Rody as an incentive for them to stay away from monkey business.

Food for thought. Public prosecutors in Muntinlupa and Manila may wish to review the cases they have filed where the arresting officers are among those kotong cops involved in the aforementioned publicized incidents.

The prosecutors will be saving many detainees – presumptively illegally charged and detained – from further grave injustice. They will also help decongest our over -crowded detention centers.

SONA – here and abroad

Today, President Rody will deliver his third SONA.

The practice is based on a constitutional mandate which requires the Chief Executive to inform Congress of the state of the nation and to recommend such measures as may be necessary and expedient.

Here in the Philippines, it is called State-of-the-Nation Address or SONA for short. In the US, it is State of the Union. In Great Britain, it is called Speech from the Throne or The Queen’s (or King’s) Speech. It is Prinsjesdag in the Netherlands. There is no equivalent name in Japan but the speech, likewise, is delivered during the first session of Parliament.

The day after the SONA, the political opposition in Congress, as represented by the Minority Floor Leader, delivers what has come to be known as CONTRA SONA. The Opposition calls this speech “The True State of the Nation.”

Since the time of President Quezon, every Philippine president has personally appeared every year before Congress to deliver his message. The only exception occurred in 1950 when President Quirino, who was then recuperating from an illness, delivered his SONA via radio from his hospital bed in the United States.

In the US, early presidents starting with Thomas Jefferson, discontinued George Washington’s practice of personally appearing before Congress. Jefferson and the rest simply submitted a written report. Woodrow Wilson resumed the practice of personal appearance.

Here in the Philippines, the President delivers the SONA before a joint session of Congress. In attendance are almost all the members of both houses, including those who are perennially absent during the regular session.

Also in attendance are members of the judiciary, cabinet members, members of the diplomatic corps, a carefully screened guest list, and of course, the duly accredited media.

Occasionally, some political figures – strongly opposed to the sitting President – leak to media in advance their non-attendance claiming “waste of time.”

Outside, militant groups usually make a show of marching with clenched fists towards the Batasan only to be stopped by the police.

The US has institutionalized a practice (The Designated Survivor) as a result of 9/11. Accordingly, one cabinet member does not attend in order to provide continuity in the line of succession in the event that a catastrophe disables the President, the Vice President, and other succeeding officers gathered in the House chamber.

Additionally, since 9/11, a few members of the US Congress have also been asked to relocate to undisclosed locations for the duration of the speech to form a rump Congress in the event of disaster.