It’s about time

After four years of high crime rates, Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas finally accepted the inefficiency of the Philippine National Police (PNP) by sacking four of the five Metro Manila district directors after a review of their performance in the past four months.

Relieved from their failure to bring down crime rates in their districts are Quezon City Police District (QCPD) chief Richard Albano, Manila Police District (MPD) chief Rolando Asuncion, Southern Police District (SPD) chief Erwin Villacorte and Northern Police District  (NPD) head Edgar Layon.

Only chief Superintendent Abelardo Villacorta was retained in his post as head of the Eastern Police District.

Roxas said the four officers removed are unlikely to get new positions soon.

The logical next question is how about the regional directors?

In particular regions 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, and 12. Then, we ask why is chief Director-General Alan Purisima not being held accountable for the high crime rate and for the large number of policemen who are involved and have been implicated in crime and corruption?

The tell-tale signs are there. An ordinary policeman should be placed under watch if he has a new car, or motorcycle, or an expensive watch, or has built a new house, or has two families or more.

As National Police Commission (Napolcom) chairman, Interior Secretary Roxas should review every case where a police officer is cleared after being found guilty by a commanding officer. 

The new district chiefs are Police Chief Superintendent Jonathan Ferdinand G. Miano of the Northern Police District (NPD); Police Senior Superintendent Rolando Z. Nana of the Manila Police District (MPD); Police Chief Superintendent Henry S. Rañola Jr. of the Southern Police District (SPD); and Police Senior Superintendent Joel D. Pagdilao of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD).

Quezon City (QC) Mayor Herbert Bautista felt bypassed by the surprise removal of the city’s police chief, saying the PNP should  officially inform him and go through the motion/process of selection and appointment anytime soon, citing Republic Act 6975.

However, Bautista said Pagdilao is “warmly welcome” to serve in QC again.

Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada said he welcomed the appointment of Nana as new chief of the MPD as he was the one who recommended Nana as Asuncion’s replacement.

Crimes everywhere

The United States (US) embassy in Manila has issued a warning for a possible bomb plot in Metro Manila.

The US embassy told US citizens in the country to be on alert after police arrested three men, known to have links to terrorist organizations, at a checkpoint on Roosevelt Avenue in Project 7 following information that the men would stage bombing in Metro Manila.

The arrested men were tagged as members of the terrorist Rajah Solaiman Movement (RSM) whose safe house in QC had been under military surveillance for months.

Lawyer Jack Turqueza, administrative officer of the Abra Provincial Prosecutor’s Office, was killed in an ambush by a motorcycle-riding gunman.

The three suspected “Acetyline Gang” members victimized Dos pawnshop in Pasig by digging a hole under it. The suspects carted away P5 million worth in jewelry and gadgets.

Head nurse Felomina Ferolin and teacher Gina Cabilona died when a 40mm grenade was thrown into a United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) in Pikit, North Cotabato. Seriously wounded were Virginia Manolid, Jeremias Dandan, and Jerome Dandan.

A manufacturer of coco lumber was shot dead in Quezon province.

Council to address youth unemployment

To address youth unemployment in the country, education reform advocates from the private sector launched the National-Industry Academe Council (NIAC), chaired by Ramon del Rosario Jr. (chairman of Makati Business Club) and Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin (president of the Ateneo de Manila).

The council’s goal was to support economic development, competitiveness and employment through greater and more appropriate industry involvement in the education system.

“The NIAC aims to create a short-to-medium-term agenda centered on addressing the skills and mismatch in Philippines, which is facilitated by the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd),” PBed president Chito Salazar said.

As of April this year, there are around 1.46 unemployed youth (15 to 24 years old) in the Philippines, according to Salazar.

Dissatisfaction up

Pulse Asia reported that fewer Filipinos are satisfied with the way the Aquino administration is handling major concerns affecting the people, including increasing the pay of workers; where only 28 percent of respondents gave approval while 36 percent were dissatisfied.

On the administrations’s efforts to reduce poverty, only 26 percent said they were satisfied, down from 32 percent in June.

Only 22 percent approved the government’s efforts to control the inflation rate.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a press briefing that there was a constellation of issues that must be considered and that the administration’s economic team had been focused on lowering inflation, which decreased from a high of 4.9 percent to 4.4 percent as of latest report.

He said the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) was continuously monitoring the inflation rate and has all the tools of monetary policy to regulate it, including total liquidity in the banking system and other indicators.