An OIC for the PNP

The Philippine National Police is a 150,000-strong organization tasked mainly to ensure peace and order nationwide. As such it is numerically a larger force than the Armed Forces of the Philippines although with less capability in terms of mobility and firepower.

For many years the national police force, known as the Philippine Constabulary and Integrated National Police, was a part of the AFP under the Department of National Defense. In January 1991, with the creation of the Department of Interior and Local Government, the force was separated from the AFP and renamed the Philippine National Police. The first chief of the PNP was Cesar Nazareno, PMA Class 1961.

The PNP is headed by a director general with four stars and is the equivalent of the AFP chief of staff. He is assisted by two deputy director generals with three stars, one for administration and another for operations. At present, with the recent retirement of Deputy General Felipe Rojas Jr., Deputy General Leonardo Espina became the No. 2 man in the organization.

With the suspension of incumbent PNP chief Alan Purisima, it would have been the most logical move to designate the next in the chain of command to take over even if only in an acting capacity. Unfortunately, the next in the command line, Deputy Director General Espina, was designated only as an officer in charge (OIC).

Now, what is the responsibility of an OIC?

In simple terms, an officer in charge is basically a caretaker or housekeeper. He makes sure routine matters are attended to, but lacks the authority to move people around or to make major decisions that may be required to address emergencies or to improve organizational efficiency. In many cases, he would require clearance from higher authority to carry out those decisions.

What could be the reason for an OIC to head the PNP at such a critical period when bombings are taking place in Mindanao, and preparations are in full swing for the coming papal visit, and the Apec (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) hosting next year?

Espina is a professional officer, and the organization could benefit from his leadership even if only for a brief period. His one shortcoming if we can call it that, is he did not serve in the Presidential Security Group under President Cory Aquino and, therefore, may not be too well-known to P-Noy.

An OIC designation will make it easier to return Purisima to his post. This option remains and could be the reason Purisima continues to stay at the official residence of the PNP chief while serving his suspension, apparently with the blessings of the higher authority. This is a delicate matter that Purisima himself should reflect upon more seriously. The PNP chief’s official residence in Camp Crame should be solely for whoever occupies the position. If Purisima is not returned to his post, another officer with a longer tenure of office could easily take over the organization. But until this is done, the organization as a whole is bound to suffer.

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas has tried hard to downplay the existing leadership vacuum in the PNP. He has cited audited statistics that indicate a significant decrease in crime incidence in the National Capital Region. It is the unreported, unaudited figures that we should worry about, and the situation will not improve substantially under the present circumstances.

When Health Secretary Enrique Ona was asked to go on leave to prepare his answers on certain issues for which the President requested clarification, he was replaced by one of his undersecretaries who was designated as acting secretary of the department. The national police force, with its daily operational concerns, requires at the very least an acting chief.

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More on the Boy Scouts. Last week, I wrote about growing up in the province and joining the Boy Scout organization. I recall that one of our leaders in the movement was sent to the Sixth World Jamboree in Moisson, France. It was the first post-World War II scout jamboree. Samuel Sibayan and former congressman Roque Ablan Jr. were chosen to represent the province of Ilocos Norte in the Philippine delegation.

Sibayan, a retired surgeon, who now resides in Baltimore, Maryland, narrated his participation in this event, an experience that would take him halfway around the globe. The sea voyage from Singapore to Bombay, across the Suez Canal, through the Mediterranean, was aboard the Empress of Scotland, a converted troopship. One-half of the ship was occupied by British soldiers returning home from the war and the other half was for paying passengers. The scouts were billeted with the soldiers but were allowed to roam all over the ship.

Sibayan recalls that the jamboree in France was one, big carnival with some 50,000 boy scouts from all over the world gathered just two years after the worst conflict in the history of mankind. The tinikling dance which the Filipino scouts rehearsed for the event, was an instant hit with the crowds. As they met fellow scouts who became more like brothers to them, Sibayan often wondered why nations had to go to war over differences.

Returning home, they were treated like heroes with parades held in their honor. Flying to Laoag from Manila, they were on the same plane as Vice President Elpidio Quirino. Upon arrival at the airport, Quirino was dumbfounded to realize that the welcoming crowd was for the Boy Scouts and that he was just a neglected bystander.

Sibayan remembers what scouting did for him and how it influenced his life and career. He said, “What is important is that I learned how to deal with people. It is looking at a person straight in the eye and saying, ‘I am your friend and

I want to help you.’”