President Duterte has stripped the Philippine National Police of any more purchasing power over the possible “bukol” (kickback) in the procurement of “laser speed guns,” said to cost P950,000 each when they cost only P10,000 per unit in Davao City,
Explaining the issue away as a mere matter of “semantics,” the PNP spokesperson said the gadgets requested were not just “laser guns” but actually the more sophisticated “micro digital photo/video laser tech speed system” currently being used in more advanced countries that cost “about a million” each (“PNP insists: No wrongdoing, only ‘wrong’ term,” 1/16/20). Thus, the PNP was even going to “save” the country about P50,000. Ha!
The PNP “wanted to acquire the latest equipment to stop speeding, drunk driving and overloading, which typically cause road accidents.” It could not even detect jeepneys plying the streets of Metro Manila without their headlights being switched on at night! More accidents have happened because of such wanton recklessness. No high-tech, very expensive gadgets are needed there, but only their naked eyes!
ROMANO MORANO MONTENEGRO, romor_monger@yahoo.com