When voters evaluate politicos for possible election in May 2019, they should including among their criteria for voting the strength of candidates’ platforms for peace and order, particularly with regard to ensuring that only men and women of integrity serve on the police force.
Central Visayas Police Director Debold Sinas admitted in an interview with Cebu Daily News that police and military personnel, active and retired have been working as gunmen for drug lords behind the series of killings in Cebu.
We expect the Senate committees on public order and dangerous drugs, and public information and mass media to scrutinize this grandly ironic link between cops and criminals.
We expect the senators to prod the police to shed more light about the killings and to inspire plans to stop them.
We expect our solons to do their best to extract from the police an explanation for their continuing incapability to round up scalawags in spite of the increased law enforcement budget.
In the meantime, Sinas’ admission of the existence of scalawags among the police should be followed by convincing measures to restore public confidence in the men and women of the police.
The sacrifices of good cops, even to the point of death in keeping people safe would only be sadly obscured by a police leadership that adamantly denies the undeniable crookedness of some in the ranks.
A good next step for the police would be to show greater willingness not only to improve their public relations but more importantly to truly listen to voices who can put wisdom into our search for tranquility of order.
The voices are of governors, members of provincial boards, city and municipal mayors, and city and municipal councilors tasked to lead or be part of provincial, city, and town peace and order councils.
Leaders and members of these councils are supposed to fulfill their lawful mandate to formulate, monitor, and assess public safety and peace and order councils in their respective locales.
The silence of peace and order council members throughout the violence that has wrecked societies has abetted errors that made a significant segment of the police antitheses who render glib their maxim “to serve and protect.”
What are the peace and order platforms of reelectionist and first-time political candidates? Voters should ask politicos and demand that they make an account.
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