Revives “ole” PC to fight terrorism - Duterte

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

A good relationship by the Philippines with the international community can be gleaned by the Dagupan City’s experienced.

Former Philippine Constabulary Chief
General  Fidel V. Ramos.

After the City’s mayor Belen Fernandez spoke at world ocean forum in 2015, the Procter & Gamble (P&G) through the intercessions of the U.S. State Department, International Ocean Conservancy, Asian Development Bank and United Nations pledged to give $8.2 million (Php 401 million) for this year to the premier city in Region-1 for its waste-to-worth project.

The free project is a modern solid waste facility, the first in Asia, with the eventual closure of its 50-year-old dumpsite in compliance with Republic Act. No. 9003, or the “Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

The project, whose main purpose is to get rid of plastic and other debris in the sea of this city, will convert garbage collected daily from homes, markets, schools and factories into diesel fuel for jeepneys and motor boats as well as biogas to be used for cooking in homes and also lighting for them.

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I heard the total package of the military and economic aid Washington gave to the Filipinos run up to P82 million.

In case our country’s leadership chooses to break diplomatic ties with the U.S and other first world countries like those in the European Union, the $8.2 million from P&G and those in the military and economic aid would no longer be available.

The experienced of Iran, North Korea, and Cuba could be an example where the White House exerted pressure for private entities like P&G to stop giving assistance to countries Washington had broken ties.

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Here’s the breakdown from U.S Department of States that was analogous how U.S military aid are divided when say the measly $66 million 2016 military assistance would be completed at the end of this year.

Foreign Military Sales Financing, International Military Education and Training, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, Non-Proliferation, Anti-Terrorism, Development Assistance, Economic Support Funds, others.

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Don’t you know that in 1984 to 1988 the Yanks gave us $500 million Military and Economic Aid (MEA)? During the Renegotiation of the U.S Bases in 1988, the Americans agreed to give us Filipinos $481 million in 1989 MEA, another $481 in 1990 of MEA. 
But in 1991 we kicked the Americans out through our narrow minded senators who said the absence of the bases would show that we would be totally independent. 
Five years after G.I Joes left, one of our Reefs Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands was taken by the bully Mainland China.
Presently, the "Gringos" give us $66 million annually while they give Israel $3.1 billion and Pakistan $280 million a year despite the Pakistani generals hid No. 1 Terrorist Osama bin Laden there.

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At the “aggressive” tours of President Rodrigo Duterte at various military and police camps all over the country, he announced at Compostela Valley that he wanted to revive the defunct Philippine Constabulary.
The PC is the precursor of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

He wanted  it to be part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines again unlike the PNP, a civilian oriented armed organization that is under the Department of Interior & Local Government.

According to Wikipidia, the PC is was a gendarmerie-type police force of the Philippines from 1901 to 1991. It was created by the American colonial government to replace the Spanish colonial Guardia Civil. It was the first of the four service commands of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
On January 29, 1991, it was merged with the Integrated National Police to form the Philippine National Police.

“I will return the Philippine Constabulary under the four commands… kasi kailangan ko ng tao sa urban terrorism like the SAF (Special Action Force),” Duterte cited.

The feisty president said the Philippine National Police (PNP) will remain as he plans to resurrect the PC as one of the four major commands of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

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Here is my recollection on my blog/column where I wrote what ensued in the consultation of the Committee on Public Order and Safety of the House of Representatives on the “PNP Modernization Bill” with hundreds of members of the PNP in November 2015 the logic why the PNP should be returned to the PC, and the opposition of PNP personnel. Excerpts of my blog/column titled: “Cops Asked: Is it OK your superior throw you in jail?”:

Major concerns asked by Congressmen Romy Acop, Sam Pagdilao, and Pol Bataoil, who are not only retired police officials but alumni of the Philippine Military Academy, were the following: "

1)             If active members of the Philippine National Police wanted that their ranking titles be reverted to the then Philippines Constabulary (PC).

It means a Senior Inspector would be called as Captain, etc.

I asked the non-commissioned officers (NCO) who were mostly SP04 (Senior Police Officer-4) who sat near me if they were amenable that a Police Officer 1 would be called “Constable” while an SP04 with red six stripes and a star in the middle will be called MSGT or Master Sergeant just like in the military.  Most of them did not like the idea. “It could not happen because the PNP was created as civilian in nature while those military ranks were created, well, for military purpose,” an SPO4 answered me.

“I thought you don’t want to trade off the SPO-4 or P01 rank because of the word “Officer” attached to it when in the real sense you are not officer like the Inspector or Superintendent (Lieutenant or Lt. Colonel in the military),’ I jocularly told him.

2) Congressman Pagdilao, who is running for senator under presidential front runner Grace Poe, told the police men that in their study in the proposed law a police man who committed a crime can only be relieved from his duty and restricted to the station by his chief of police or commander. “During the time of the PC a commander could even throw to jail his unscrupulous subordinate,” Pagdilao recalled.

He told the police that it is a disgrace before the eyes of the public that a police offender who was restricted “escaped” from his station. “Who among you here are in favour to return the disciplinary power of the police commander to jail his underling?” the former general asked the mostly non-officer attendees.

Son of a gun, nobody raised their hands.   They want the status quo. Is this a sign that even members of the police do not want a tough measure to make them toe the line?"

(You can read my selected columns at http://mortzortigoza.blogspot.com and articles at Pangasinan News Aro. You can send comments too at totomortz@yahoo.com)"