Under control?

IT seems that the buzzword among police leaders in Pangasinan nowadays – in the face of the rash of killings by hired hitmen in broad daylight and involving high-profile victims – is to issue a statement to media  the peace and order situation remains “under control”. But are they?

The knee jerk reaction of the PNP was to suspend, effective June 13, all permits to carry outside of residence (PTCFOR) given to licensed firearm holders. Why control the authorized holders whose records are easily verifiable and when no registered firearm has so far been found to have been used in killings by hitmen? This simplistic approach to the complex problem besetting our communities only confirms what our communities fear –  the police are not capable of securing them.

Then came the provincial police’s spokesman who rationalized that “there is no statistical tool where we can measure to say that it is generally peaceful or not considering that the province has a big population…” Funny he would say that when a couple of weeks ago, provincial police director Sr. Supt. Sterling Raymund Blanco just reported the crime and their accomplishment statistics to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and cited these numbers in support of his claim that the province remains “generally peaceful”. But never mind the numbers. What is more alarming is the continuation of the spokesman’s statement: “…besides progress is associated with crimes as lawless elements have more motives for committing crimes here with the presence of more economic activity, financial stability, more population .” If that is the police mindset, it is no surprise that the police does not come across to be on top of the situation.

Peace and security comes alongside – and an indispensable factor of – economic development. Progress does not and is not supposed to beget criminality and violence. Understand that and perhaps Pangasinan will begin to see some real control from the authorities.

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Heckling kid

IF President Aquino will not stop the litigation against a teenager charged of heckling him in public, then the Chief Executive has lost all reason to rule this country. What is this, martial law all over again?  The kid did not even hurl eggs at him. The President of America and the US Secretary of State were once targets of shoes flung at them during a press conference; the culprits had been released and forgiven—instantly.

For telling straight to the President’s face that he disagreed with his views during Mr. Aquino’s Independence Day speech on June 12 in Naga City, Pio Emmanuel Mijares, a 19-year-old psychology student at Ateneo de Naga, should be commended and even put on a pedestal for championing democracy. Not to be arrested and promptly thrown behind bars as what the President’s guards dutifully did in complete disregard of the people’s basic right to free speech.

Mr. Aquino felt insulted?  Why, doesn’t he also have the penchant to insult people in many of his public speeches since he took power in 2010?  And, yes, why will he now see his beloved Boss being jailed for merely talking back?  It’s now crystal-clear that his Boss spin making the people his Boss from Day One of his tenure was mere lip service. Thus, if the country’s most powerful person couldn’t even take a verbal jab from a kid young enough to be his grandson, we’re in deep s..t.  Lord, have mercy.

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