COMENDADOR
Chief Supt. Patrocinio Comendador, regional director of the Police Regional Office Central Visayas (PRO-7), challenged his men to have the moral courage to resist bribery.
Comendador was at the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) to award policemen for their accomplishments in the arrests of known criminals.
“I would like to emphasize that in the war against illegal drugs, it is a very complicated job because sometimes you end up being eaten by the system. We become lawbreakers when we accept bribes,” he said.
He admitted that physical courage has always been present in his men but, not all of them possess moral bravery, which is essential when an officer refuses to accept a bribe, especially those coming from suspected illegal drug personalities.
“It should be for the job, not for the money. It has always been said that money can support our operations but it is not the greatest motivator. It always falls on the sense of purpose, the sense of direction for our organization,” Comendador said.
He said an illegal drug trader’s area of operation only becomes bigger when law enforcers begin to ask for a share of the profits.
The drug menace would get bigger as the drug personalities extend to more areas in order to come up with money to bribe policemen and for their profit, he added.
At the end of his speech, he urged PRO–7 to continue neutralizing drug pushers and to target big-time drug criminals and so put an end to the drug menace.