Talkative Bato

"I have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet, strange, I am ungrateful to those teachers." Khalil Gibran

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- If I were police Chief Supt. Ronaldo "Bato" dela Rosa, I would refrain from issuing threats to members of the underworld, particularly the drug lords, even after I have assumed as PNP director general.
I would not telegraph my punches if my intention is to eradicate the drug lords.
I would neither give a deadline nor predict a timetable for the drug lords' demise.
I will just do my job. I will let my performance do the talking. 
I'm a law enforcer, not a debater.
I will only implement the law and protect the civilian populace.
I will let my boss, President Rody Duterte, do all the noise. 
Duterte's locomotive tongue is enough to send shivers down their spine, but uprooting them in their cocoons will take more than a lip service.

CONNECTION

Drug lords are not patsies. They, too, have connections all over the archipelago.
They have branched out not only in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, but also in other Asian and even American countries where they maintain a symbiotic business relationship.
They have the money to burn, so to speak. 
They have in their payroll not only rogue cops and jail wardens, but also corrupt journalists, powerful politicians, and hoodlums in robes--fiscals and judges.
Drug lords may also have protectors not only in the judiciary but also in the legislative branch.
They reportedly bankrolled the victory of some lawmakers. And this is a common knowledge. 
We won't be surprised if some solons are drug lords, too; or are in cahoots with drug lords.
In fact, we doubt if all drug lords in the Philippines will be wiped out in six months. 
Some of the small fries maybe, but not those in the hierarchy.
Drug lords have links in other parts of the world. Their cohorts are also well-connected and well-entrenched. 
In this age of technology, they swap support in many disguises and networks.

OPERATIONS

Their operations are not peanuts. They operate using hi-tech gadgets and can afford to give away hundreds of millions in bribes and other operational expenses. 
Predicting their downfall in only six months is like predicting Dracula to reject blood for his drink.
Instead of talking a lot, Dela Rosa should begin with a house cleaning in the PNP without any banter and blunderbuss.
According to Rappler, while Dela Rosa’s pending appointment did not surprise Camp Crame officials, it has raised some eyebrows.
Rappler reported: "His taking on the highest post in the police force means his upperclassmen – from the Philippine Military Academy classes of 1983, 1984 and 1985 – will miss their chance at the PNP’s top post. Born on January 21, 1962, Dela Rosa is set to retire in 2018, when he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 56.
"Assuming he begins his stint by July 2016, Dela Rosa would serve as PNP chief for at least one and a half years. His term would be a little longer than current PNP chief Director General Ricardo Marquez's 12-month stint, but shorter than that of President Benigno Aquino III's favorite cop, sacked PNP chief Alan Purisima.
"Purisima was appointed chief of the PNP in late 2013 and was not set to retire until November 2015, which meant an almost 2-year-old term. But Purisima was suspended in December 2014 and later, dismissed by the Ombudsman over a supposedly shady deal in Camp Crame."