By Atty. Antonio P. Pekas
There was the same warning issued by the national police chief for local chiefs of police to stop illegal gambling in fifteen (15) days. Wa epek, however. It just kept going on.
Just the other day, there was the same warning. This time with the empowerment of regional commanders to remove or reassign provincial and city/municipal chiefs who cannot deliver on the mission. Such local empowerment is welcome. . . … but illegal gambling will keep going on. To our dismay, of course. For illegal gambling impoverishes, if not destroys, families. It corrupts the soul of people to the extent that they almost become inutile, unable to face up to the challenges that day-to-day life offers. It also breeds other crimes.
But why will it keep going on? Because our police department offices have very low budgets, if at all. Even gasoline for their patrol vehicles can hardly be provided by the office, also the food and the coffee for the troops having to go through the graveyard shift.
So where do local chiefs get the money to keep operations going on, particularly the ones against illegal drugs? Definitely not from their own pockets. My guess is from other illegal activities and the payola from illegal gambling might be the easiest available.
As to illegal drugs, the massacre of the Parojinogs in Ozamis City has sent a chill down the spine of other narco-politicians. For months, as if there was a lull in the drive. Then came this gruesome event. While it was scary, it came with a whiff of change. At least it was not the pitiful drug addict being hauled out from his impoverished hole in the slums of Tondo, Manila or in Caloocan or in other blighted spots of Quezon City, etc, being flashed in the evening or morning news. These latest casualties of the war were well fed, well housed, and obviously had been wallowing in luxury. They had been in control of the affairs of a city and a province, and obviously over the millions of drugs money that had been flowing to their coffers everyday. The question that arises is: “How many lives did they destroy through the years?”
How about narco-politicians nearer to home or in Norther Luzon, in particular. We just heard that Mayor Flores of Naguilian, La Union was in the US and he must be still there. He was one of those mentioned by PDuterte in the past and rumors have it that an underground factory of shabu was being operated in his town, during his watch. Of course the US has always been the favorite hiding place of hardened bigtime politico-criminals in third world countries. But his time US Pres. Trump (a big fan of PDuterte) just might send them back home.
How about other political kingpins hereabout or in the Ilocos region? Will they be dealt with as they should be dealt with like the Parohinogs or are there sacred cows in PDuterte’s war? Who they are were already ascertained many months ago.
Here in Baguio City, whatever happened to the information that had been floating around for sometime that some lawyers were implicated in the illegal drugs trade. Is there any truth to this?
Then there is this fresh unverified information that a policeman known to be an addict is still normally reporting for work?
At the very least, these people should be made to surrender and be allowed to have themselves rehabilitated.
How about in Kalinga? Some people say that it is now dubbed the land of the free. As one lawyer-colleague told me, the big bosses are still the big crime bosses. Some are even in high government offices. They must be living it up. Well, what can you do but to live it up if you remain unmolested in the best of both worlds?
So while the PNP chief announced his last warning with a severe face, his field commanders might be having a good laugh.**
