Punchline
Wanted: More ‘Oplan Sita’ checkpoints
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
MORE families and communities are becoming more apprehensive with the drug situation in their villages since the PNP was pulled out from the war on drugs.
While the Pangasinan PNP is set to recommend all barangays as drug-cleared, some residents are becoming anxious about reports that some drug pushers that have since disappeared are slowly making a comeback in their barangays.
Such a situation does not augur well for the integrity of the Barangay Anti-Drug Advisory Councils (BADAC). I say this because the only way the drug syndicates can resume their illegal activities in the barangays is if their kapitans turn a blind eye, indirectly providing protection for the pushers.
In such a case, I encourage families that already benefitted from the war on drugs to take it upon themselves to draw line lest their family members who have since reformed are lured back to the dens. They have seen that the drug pushers can be stopped so they have everything to gain if they advocate for drug-free barangays.
To be advocate, they must be prompt in reporting presence of strangers and known pushers, including suspicious engagements of barangay officials, to their police chiefs.
Why police chiefs? Keeping the drug pushers out is still their responsibility, and are required to coordinate and collaborate with the provincial team of PDEA.
But if for some reason, an informed resident thinks he/she cannot fully trust the police chief, then send a text message to PDEA regional office (0933-3033291) or provincial PDEA (0947-4754444) to report suspicions.
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MOTORCYCLE-RIDING CRIMINALS. What certainly puts communities at ease is the sight of police checkpoints conducting ‘Oplan Sita’ every day and police visibility in barangays. Checkpoints deter movements of criminals.
Residents know too well that drug pushers are usually armed and move around with ease on motorcycles any time of the day, particularly at night. And, the knowledge that many homicide and murder cases are now being perpetrated by motorcycle-riding hitmen makes residents wary of motorcycle riders.
Checkpoints are about the only known effective visible assurance that peace and order in the community is well under control.
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PROVE 13,000 EJKS. Last week, I posted a truth challenge to the Commission on Human Rights and Human Rights Watch group on Facebook.
Specifically, I called out the two bodies to show proof that, indeed, there are 13,000 extra-judicial killings (EJK) in the country. For too long, they have made the claim persistently before foreign governments that made the latter believe that there is a policy and culture of impunity in the country.
The politicians opposed to the Duterte administration have found it convenient to echo the same since they simply attribute the figures to the CHR.
So far, I and many others aware of our ‘truth challenge’ have not heard any CHR official deny and reject our claim as untrue and baseless.
While invoking the 13,000 can be dismissed simply as a political issue between the pro and anti Duterte administration, many ordinary folks who are neither pro or anti administration are beginning to feel insulted as well. The impression that ours is a government that promotes a culture of impunity puts on the spot as well for not standing up to it.
In fact, even Archbishop Soc Villegas already chided the members of the laity for being tolerant of the administration’s war on drugs, particularly EJKs. Perhaps unknown to him, a big number of the laity in his own Lingayen-Dagupan archdiocese that rarely hears of police abuses in their communities cannot easily relate to his call to action to protest the EJK that “already victimized more than 13,000.”
What the protesting politicians and church leaders cannot seem to accept is the fact that a big majority of the populace do support the war on the drugs. The surveys consistently reflect this. But what is changing is the growing sentiment that the cops cannot be trusted but that’s not because of first hand experiences with the police but from impressions given in media that there are 13,000 killed by the police in the war on drugs.
So, I am calling out now those who also still maintain that there are 13,000 victims of EJK. I’m saying it’s a blatant lie aimed simply at discrediting the war on drugs. Those who conveniently invoke the line are liars.
I’d be happy to be proven wrong, but I seriously doubt that the CHR can even cite more than 200 documented cases of EJK, if at all.
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WHERE’S THE SPORTS ACADEMY? The employees of both the provincial and local governments are certainly getting a fill of sports activities. There’s no doubt the tournaments help keep morale high and develop professional camaraderie among public servants.
But as I keep tab of the seemingly endless sports tournaments, I cannot but help wonder if Guv Pogi is still keen on the establishing the touted Sports Academy.
So far the tournaments are really about fun and games and little else. Training of athletes is till on an ad hoc basis… two weeks before scheduled national games.
When will the budding athletes at the grassroots level finally see a promising future for themselves?
I surely wish the committee that Guv Pogi formed to prepare the program for the Sports Academy will finally make public know what they have decided to propose for the academy.
I hope my thoughts about forming committees are not what’s happening with Guv’s committee. I’ve since become cynical when committees are formed because these are supposed to give the impression that something is finally being accomplished. The operational word being – impression. Translation: a committee‘s job is to create the impression that actions are being taken.
So is Guv’s sports committee still busy giving the impression that action being taken?
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DRUG-FREE AFTER 15 MONTHS. The late news that Dagupan City’s Barangay 2 & 3 is finally cleared of drugs is a long overdue welcome development.
Frankly, I was beginning to wonder why it is taking more than 15 months to declare it drug-free. It took the notorious barangays Bonuan Binloc and Bonuan Gueset to claim the distinction of being cleared in less than12 months.
And through it all, Kapitan Roberto Melecio was not called out. I wondered too if the barangay’s ADAC functioned at all and whether the city’s ADAC was ever concerned about the status the city as being still drug-affected after 15 months.
But all that is well under the bridge now and Dagupan’s CADAC now has the responsibility to keep all BADACs functioning 24/7!
P/Superintendent Franklin Ortiz, take a bow!
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