BOASTFUL ARROGANCE. Kung sinabi ni Miro, gagawin ni Miro. Kung hindi magawa ni Miro, hindi na siya si Miro.”

This phrase popularized by P/Superintendent Neil Miro when he started as officer-in-charge at the Dagupan police, may have unmade Miro himself during his short stint.

Obviously, he had intended it to describe his character which is good for a no-nonsense police officer but only if the motive is good.

For instance when he planned on setting up a police outpost in Bagong Baryo in Bonuan Binloc on an area by the beach, he thought he was his own boss who can do anything he likes without need to seek permission from anyone.

By ignoring the fact that there was san authority above him who is Mayor Belen Fernandez, his plan went kaput because Mayor Belen would not allow him to fence off a 600-square meter area of the beach and treat it like his own personal territory.

Mayor Belen had to tell him off, that he was a law enforcer violating the law.

We believe, Miro is not dumb to discern that the area offered to him by Barangay Chairman Pedro Gonzales is a public land, that the beach area he chose as the site ostensibly of a police outpost is owned by the State.

Was this what Miro had in mind when he said “Kung sinabi ni Miro, gagawin ni Miro”?

No way! Not in Dagupan, says Mayor Belen.

Incidentally what further got the goat of Mayor Belen against Miro was his arrogance telling newsmen “Mananalo pa kaya yan, eh ang dami niyang kalaban?”

He sounded like he’s been sleeping with the mayor’s political detractors.  – Leonardo Micua

 

HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN AND AN OFFICER. I remember when then P/Sr.  Superintendent Marlou Chan was in the hot seat the whole time he was Pangasinan police director. He remained calm amidst the storm he was facing in his career.

Yes, he was obviously hurt but he did not go to the media, the radio especially, to blabber to the whole Pangasinan about his angst against some top politicians in the province.

For those who may have forgotten, Chan faced a most unforgettable experience in his profession as police officer. Sometime in 2013, the provincial board passed a resolution declaring him persona non grata, citing among others his alleged political bias.

Surrounded by the love of his family and true friends while in the process of dealing with the turbulent times then, he held back his tears in silence. Chan is now a chief superintendent but honestly, I’ve lost track of his present assignment. But still, he has my admiration.

Chan was associated then with Alaminos City Mayor Nani Braganza, a Liberal Party stalwart in Pangasinan. Braganza fought but lost to then Gov. Amado Espino Jr.

Some people, including few broadcasters who were close to the political powers that at that time, claimed Chan was boastful. I’ve known him otherwise. It’s a matter of perception, anyway.

Anyway, the point I’m driving at mentioning the good officer and a gentleman at this time is to compare him to P/Superintendent Neil Miro, the former Dagupan City police chief, who was unceremoniously relieved from his post on April 8.

I would not dwell on why he was relieved from his post. Rather, I would like to focus on how he reacted when his service to Dagupan ended.

Miro was bitter when he left Dagupan City. He went to the media and said unkind words about Mayor Belen Fernandez that should have been left unsaid.

Mayor Fernandez was, naturally, forced to react through a live interview over Kabaleyan Channel the following day. Miro again reacted through interviews in various radio stations. The mayor, who was supposed to enjoy a Holy Week break in a foreign land, found it necessary to give her side on Miro’s “false accusations” by going on air, too.

No ceasefire observed in this season. The word war heightened.

Now back to Chan, I recalled how he continued to work in Pangasinan despite the distractions and issues hurled against the police, particularly himself.

“I told my men to continue to work and not to be demoralized by issues thrown against me and the PNP as a whole,” Chan said then.

Chan’s designation as police director of Pangasinan few months before the 2013 election also raised a howl in the camp of then Gov. Amado Espino Jr. who filed an injunction case in the Regional Trial Court in Lingayen questioning his appointment.

I went through my previous articles on Chan when he was then embattled during his stint in Pangasinan.

In one article, I wrote about my idol, then Sixth District Board Member Alfonso Bince, who was reluctant to pass the persona non grata resolution directed at Chan.

It read: “Bince said he was hesitant to pass the resolution “because possibly it might affect his (Chan’s) promotion but he had it coming”.

“The whole trouble is he does not react,” said one paragraph attributed to Bokal Bince.

Chan, the object of a political crisis, did not react. Ayaw nyang makapag bitaw ng salita na baka pagsisihan lang nya later on.

In contrast, Miro, who got the ire of Mayor Belen for some valid reasons, does the opposite. React nang react.

I think the good police officer should learn a bit about being a gentleman and an officer.

I came across this quote while writing this piece dawn Wednesday from Yehuda Berg: “Words are singularly the most powerful force available to humanity. We can choose to use this force constructively with words of encouragement, or destructively using words of despair. Words have energy and power with the ability to help, to heal, to hinder, to hurt, to harm, to humiliate and to humble.”

Peace to all!— Tita Roces

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