Success in papal visit, failure in Maguindanao mission

Isn’t it sad that the very successful visit of Pope Francis was followed, in the same month, by the massacre of 44 policemen of the Special Action Force in Mamasapano, Maguindanao? Maguindanao is now famous for two massacres: first, the killing of 58 persons, including media men; and now the Mamasapano incident.

The two incidents provide contrasting perspectives of the roles of the Philippine National Police. The first role has to do with public service and domestic law enforcement, which was highlighted by the sterling performance of the PNP during the papal visit. The second role has to do with “combat,” which unfortunately, did not end well in the Mamasapano incident.

To be fair, the PNP-SAF did a good job during the Zamboanga City siege last year, but that was a different setting—close quarters urban warfare, for which the skills of the unit seem to have passed with flying colors. However, something terribly wrong happened in the assessment, deployment and management of the SAF units involved in the Mamasapano massacre. There is no sense making an armchair analysis at this point, however, as a board of inquiry has been constituted to find out what really happened. Let us hope that the board has the courage and professionalism to get at the truth and redeem the name of the PNP as an institution.

Nevertheless, this is a good time to remember the good performance of the PNP during the papal visit. The PNP achievement in that event speaks highly of the traditional role of community service. This is fittingly described in the phrase coined by Interior Secretary Mar Roxas: “Pulis Panalo.”

Getting the Pope to fly to the Philippines and arranging the logistics of his stay here are relatively easy compared to the gargantuan responsibility of ensuring his safety, as well as the security of the millions of people who wanted to see him. They weren’t kidding when they described the papal visit as a “security nightmare.” But the PNP, under Roxas, pulled it off without a glitch.

Given that more than six million people attended the Pope’s concluding Mass at the Luneta, it is easy to see that all the security preparations made, including the presence of a massive police force, were necessary. Roxas requested supplementary funds for the deployment of additional PNP forces, and almost 38,000 policemen from several regions were stationed in Manila and Leyte to form the security front line. The PNP held simulation tests so its troops would know what to do in any situation, so that all the policemen would come to work well-prepared.

Roxas also talked to several owners of fast-food chains to provide meals for the policemen. And while being a part of Pope Francis’ security contingent is already a great honor, Roxas also awarded the Pope Francis Service Medal to each cop who served during the papal visit as a recognition of their exemplary service.

The news programs were rife with reminders of what to bring and what not to bring, what to do, and other safety reminders. That is because the Department of Interior and Local Government, under Roxas, coordinated with the television networks in disseminating information on risk management. He also asked the media to refrain from using drones to gather footage of any of the events during the papal visit as these could pose security risks.

The DILG also asked the National Telecommunications Commission to request that cell sites be shut down along the routes of the papal convoy to prevent the detonation of bombs using cell phones as triggering devices. Though there were people who grumbled about the lack of cell services, they still understood that it was necessary for the safety of the Pope and the good of all.

Anticipating a massive crowd, Roxas ordered antistampede measures, including the use of elevated platforms and the sectioning of devotees into quadrants, which proved to be an effective method to preclude overcrowding and stampedes during the Mass at the Luneta, and allowed the Pope to easily move through and interact with the crowds.

In the end, Roxas and the DILG’s hard work paid off. A few hours before Pope Francis returned to Rome, he personally thanked them for the security preparations. It was a job well done and worth commending.

But let us not forget the devotees. Except for the tons of trash left behind, they were well-disciplined all along the routes of the Pope.

Going back to the Mamasapano massacre, some people wonder whether things would have turned out differently had Roxas been consulted on the operation. But although he is the head of the DILG and the PNP, he was not even informed of the mission.

But all that is water under the bridge now. Let us wait for the PNP board to submit its findings, which should be made public so we can all make a reasoned opinion on all these issues.

* * *

My daughter has been a Globe subscriber for more than 10 years now. She recently availed herself of the recontracting/loyalty promo for the newest iPhone gadget. But Globe made a mess of her request. It has been three weeks and she has yet to receive her phone. Worse, the new plan took effect without her getting the promised unit.

Every time she calls for a follow-up, the call center agents seem incompetent to handle the situation. More than once, she was answered with a “Ganun na nga po, Ma’am, hindi namin kayo matutulungan (Precisely, Ma’am, we can’t help you).”

She even went to a Globe store but the same thing was said to her. The staff there did not even offer any help to rectify the situation. They keep giving her reference numbers and promises to call for feedback, but she has never received any. Our family has been loyal Globe subscribers for many years, and this is how Globe is repaying us.