Wife-blaming, classical macho excuse

Time and again, the wife has been readily used as an alibi for a man’s errant behavior. Recently, we heard it straight from the Philippine National Police Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s mouth: “One of the major causes bakit ’yung pulis napunta sa (why a cop ends up in) corruption, kung bakit ’yung pulis naghanap ng (why he looks for) extra income through illegal means, ’yan ay dahil sa asawa (that is because of the wife).”

Corruption is corruption. It is endemic, pervasive in a system that treats public service as a private business venture. The capital is government position with the “returns,” made through the (ab)use of power, guns and authhority, directly going to private pockets. This practice is unacceptable and unjustifiable.

According to recent reports, the PNP and Armed Forces of the Philippines are still among the country’s 10 most corrupt government agencies over these past six years, that is, based on the cases filed in the Office of the Ombudsman. Former president Noynoy Aquino’s “Daang Matuwid” failed to resolve this long-festering problem, and President Duterte’s “Change is coming!” looks headed for failure as well.

The problem with the PNP chief is, not only does he trivialize the problem of rottenness in the whole PNP; he passes the blame on to women—in the usual macho, misogynist and imbecile manner. It spares corrupt officials the accountability and responsibility they should be held to, and makes the wife the root of PNP corruption.

The PNP institution should instead ensure that all policemen, high and low, serve the people and render unto them the respect and protection the latter deserve. The wife should not be expected to do this duty; as it were, she is already overburdened. The PNP chief should instead remind his men that it is the people’s taxes that enable them to gain stature as, supposedly, servants of the people, especially the poor and the vulnerable. They should not “spit” on their uniform every fiber of which is paid for by Filipino taxpayers.

Blaming women for police corruption is like “tokhang” striking at the wrong targets.

NORMA P. DOLLAGA, Kasimbayan Women’s Collective (Kapatirang Simabahan Para sa Bayan), kasimbayan@yahoo,com.ph