An embarrassment
An embarrassment to the whole police force. This was the statement made by DILG Secretary Eduardo Año with regards to the police officers who were caught asleep or drinking while on duty. They were caught by none other than the National Capital Region Police Office Director Oscar Albayalde. If that is not an embarrassment, I don't know what is. Eighteen policemen will now face administrative charges, including four station chiefs. Año added that these police officers do not deserve the recent increase in wages. As I have said before, the important thing in a police officer is character. Doubling or increasing wages does not automatically translate to better service, as proven by these erring policemen.
Albayalde caught four policemen in the Sucat police station drinking while on duty. According to the station chief, they were only celebrating the birthday of one of the policemen. I can't believe this is how a policeman thinks. Can cops on duty drink just because it is someone's birthday? What if there is a call for help or assistance from the community? How will they deal with the situation if they are drunk? Will you even trust a police officer reeking of alcohol? In Pasay City, 14 policemen were caught sleeping on the job. That's 14 police officers! I can understand maybe one or two cops catching a power nap during the graveyard shift, just to recharge. But 14? That is totally unacceptable. Did they think that with the higher wages, they can already slacken on the job?
Albayalde was right in making the surprise inspections. That should actually continue, not just in Metro Manila but across the country. I wouldn't be surprised if there are many other police stations guilty of the same infractions, maybe even worse. Perhaps Albayalde wanted to see what the increase in wages did to the police officers in terms of service and responsibility. He was only disappointed. Yet there were many who were not surprised. Such is the image that the PNP projects. Sleeping on the job, drinking on the job, among others. Maybe if Albayalde did the rounds on some night spots, he would probably find some cops there.
Administrative cases will be filed against the policemen. But really, will those cases amount to anything later on? They might as well be given push-ups. I won't be surprised if the station chiefs eventually receive promotions from PNP chief General Dela Rosa. The PNP and Napolcom should show they are serious in weeding out police officers such as these. They should be removed from the service. They were caught in the act of betraying the trust of the people. They only made the PNP organization look bad, as if they needed more bad publicity.