Shame campaign gains support

CEBU, Philippines — The top official of Cebu City and the head of the Cebu provincial police are in favor of the planned shame campaign against police scawalags.

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and Senior Superintendent Manuel Abrugena, Cebu Provincial Police Office director, said the campaign would help get rid of erring policemen.

It’s an idea meant to discipline police scawalags and to lift the morale of honest and trustworthy policemen.

Cebu City Police Office Director Joel Doria came up with the idea in a bid to cleanse its unit from policemen who engage in illegal activities.

Doria wants erring policemen be presented before the media. He, however, is still waiting for a directive from the national headquarters for the campaign implementation.

 “It’s a message to the police that we don’t want to tolerate these things. One of the big issues in our society is that people don’t think too highly of the policemen,” the mayor said.

The shame campaign, Abrugena said, is a “desperate measure” but he is willing to employ it to discourage scawalags.

“If there is a need na makikita natin na magiging effective ito then I will be more than willing to do that, drastic measures. I can do that,” he said.

He said cops tarnishing the image of the PNP deserve to be punished.

But PNP Director General Oscar Albayalde, in a memorandum issued early this week, halted the practice of parading accused criminals before the media.

Albayalde said the prohibition is contained in a 2008 memorandum written by former PNP chief Jesus Verzosa, which ordered regional and provincial commanders to refrain from presenting arrested suspects in a “firing squad” manner before the press.

Verzosa’s memorandum stressed that the presentation of suspects to the media violates their constitutional rights.

Section 14 of the Bill of Rights states that “no person shall be held to answer for a criminal offense without due process of law” and that “in all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall be presumed innocent until the contrary is proved.”

The memorandum added that the practice “could besmirch their name and reputation.”

The Commission on Human Rights reminded police officials to always uphold human rights standards, particularly on due process and presumption of innocence.

Osmeña, however, said CHR will always come into the picture as it “only protects the criminals.”

“I don’t care about CHR. I never care about them. CHR protects criminals. They don’t protect the victims of the criminals,” he said.—  KBQ (FREEMAN)