EDITORIAL — Paging Ambassador Paynor

Four soldiers detailed to Cebu as part of the security preparations for the 12th Asean Summit in December reportedly got into a brawl with police and bystanders in Lapulapu City. The soldiers apparently resented being issued a citation for a traffic violation.

To the horror of every Cebuano, the police released the soldiers to their unit commanders without filing any charges. Either the police is scared of the soldiers or it is the thinking of the police that soldiers are above the law.

These soldiers were supposed to have undergone retraining and reorientation to prepare themselves for Asean security duties. Apparently, the retraining and reorientation didn't include respect for the law.

The organizers of the Asean should promptly call the attention of the top military brass, or even go directly to the president herself, who is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and tell her that these soldiers should be sacked because they are a disgrace to their uniform.

Let those who are responsible for these soldiers know that this story has already been filed by the various stringers and correspondents of international media and are probably at this very moment being read in the countries that will be participating in the Asean Summit.

Unless those in the Asean member countries read follow-up stories regarding the soldiers and know that they have been rightly punished and kicked out of service, the tolerance for such shenanigans will certainly affect the enthusiasm of the participants in coming for the summit.

Chief summit organizer Ambassador Marciano Paynor who is a PMA graduate and a former fine military officer should step into the picture and make sure that those who are responsible get what they deserve, which is that they do not deserve to be part of such a sensitive activity.

Ambassador Paynor, the soldiers were drunk and parked their vehicle in the middle of the road. That is a fine example of men in uniform. Worse, it is a fine example of men in uniform tasked to secure the heads of state of the Asean member countries and their dialogue partners.