We stop killing people if we embrace Janism

“It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.”―Voltaire

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- I learned from my 70-year-old Indian-American chess rival here in Queens that in order for the EJK or extra-judicial killings in the Philippines to end, Filipinos may embrace the religion of Janism.
"Master Sam" said followers of this ancient religion wouldn't even hurt a fly--literally. 
He was saddened by reports that more than 2,000 suspected Filipino drug addicts and traffickers of illegal substance "have been murdered like animals" in the streets and in their houses in raids since the Duterte administration launched a "no-nonsense" battle against illegal drugs in the Philippines.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) boss, Chief Supt. Ronald "Bato" De la Rosa, handpicked by President Duterte to "cleanse the country with criminal elements," denied the PNP had initiated the mass killings saying "they adhere to the due process and respect the human rights of the suspects."
Janism is one of India's three ancient religions, along with Buddhism and Hinduism.

MAD

"Master Sam" said because of this religion, he could not even get mad at chess hustlers in the park who bilked him.
"I'm a peaceful person. When I beat you in a chess match once, I felt I humiliated you in front of your friends. When it was your turn to beat me (eight times in another meeting), I felt it was necessary to compliment you and tell people around that you are a better chess player," enthused "Master Sam," who once lost $1,500 to Filipino chess hustlers at Elmhurst Park in Queens.
Despite the fact that it has only a few million adherents and is confined almost entirely in Southern India, Janism's philosophy of non-violence has spread through the world, according to "Master Sam."
To Janists, he said, the world is divided into the living (or the soul) and the non-living.
They believe that the soul is invaded by karmic matter, or negative passions, that can dominate people's lives.  These include violence, greed, anger, and self-indulgence.
This karma reportedly bonds to the soul and impedes the search for perfect understanding and peace.

STAGE

To reach the heavenly stage, "Master Sam" said Janists must stop the inflow of bad karma and shed the karmic matter that has already bonded to their souls.
Once this has been accomplished, he explained, they reach moksha or a level of pure understanding where the soul is liberated from all earthly matter.
Master Sam said achieving this heavenly stage is quite an ordeal. An individual must spend 12 years as a Janist monk and go through eight reincarnations in order to get there.
Along the way, each must also adhere to the Three Jewels of Right Faith, Right Knowledge, and Right Conduct. More extreme worshippers deny themselves even the most basic of life's pleasures by fasting and wearing only the simplest clothing.

EXCLUSIVE: 'Dragon's group did not order the murders'

“I can’t stand squealers, hit that guy."
--Albert Anastasia

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- Who ordered the gruesome killings of suspected drug lord Melvin "Boyet" Odicta, Sr. and wife Meriam?
"Everyone has been pointing to Dragon's (Boyet Odicta's other name) alleged cohorts or protectors as the culprits. The group did not do it. Killing the goose that lays the golden egg is not only illogical, but also suicidal on the part of the group," argued a reliable source who wanted to be called only as "Strawberry."
Strawberry, who now lives in New Jersey, was a former "close friend" of the slain Odicta when the latter was still allegedly "locked in a bitter turf war" in Brgy. Tanza-Esperanza, Iloilo City Proper in the early 90's with Levi Zerrudo, inmate in the Bureau of Jail and Management Penology (BJMP) in Ungka, Jaro, Iloilo City.
Zerrudo, also known as "Bitas", was reportedly Odicta's main rival in distribution of illegal drugs in the area. 
They were both small fries at that time, Strawberry said.

CHECK

"I checked with the group and they swore they had no knowledge about the hit," Strawberry disclosed.
He added: "They would have everything to lose and nothing to gain if they eliminated Dragon. Granting that Dragon and Meriam were able to give the list of their alleged protectors to DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government) Secretary (Ismael) Sueno, killing the couple won't change anything."
Odicta's lawyer Raymund Fortun denied that the couple submitted a list of their protectors or "illegal drug trade matrix" to Sueno during their meeting two days before the murders.
If the alleged protectors wanted to silence Odicta and his wife, they would have ordered their killing before they went to the DILG, Strawberry pointed out. 
He said the murders of the Odicta couple "bore the signatures of  highly-organized assassins which no ordinary group or organization can command, maintain and sustain."
Strawberry said "he was very suspicious with the reactions and expressions" of both Philippines National Police (PNP) chief, Director Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa and President Rodrigo Duterte himself after news of the couple's killings spread all over the country.

FOLLOW

Strawberry said the assassins could have followed the couple's movement even before they left for Batangas port to take a ro-ro ship to Caticlan, Aklan where they were peppered with bullets while walking in the port area at around 1:30 a.m. on August 29. 
They suffered fatal gunshot wounds and pronounced dead on arrival in a hospital in Malay, Aklan
"The signs were not good starting when they were stopped in a police checkpoint in Batangas, where three of their companions have been arrested (after several unlicensed guns were found inside their vehicle) while Dragon and Meriam were allowed to board the ship," he stressed.
Strawberry also clarified that "Meriam's former husband was Bondying Porras, not Tikboy Porras."
Tikboy Porras, murdered in a beach resort in Calumpang, Iloilo City in the late 80's, was known as "Boy Gold". Tikboy Porras was a notorious holdupman and hired killer, not drug pusher, Strawberry corrected.
He was reportedly murdered by his former cohorts.

SHOT

Bondying Porras was shot dead by SP01 Moloy Vasquez of the Molo PNP Station when he ran amuck in Brgy. Tanza-Esperanza. 
"Bondying Porras was engaged in selling of illegal drugs and his wife Meriam knew about his activities," Strawberry explained. "Meriam and Boyet Odicta alyas Dragon fell in love with each other and decided to live together after Porras' death."
Meriam met Dragon after his release from the New Bilibid Prison.
They reportedly collaborated "and used Bondying Porras' sources and connections in illegal drugs trade."
Competitions were still tight among local suppliers of illegal drugs. In the Zamora waterfront area, some of the alleged "notorious" pushers then were Wendel and Tiny Garcia, Alison Benid, and White Deneros.
A certain "Tongtong" reportedly controlled the Jaro-CPU area, "but the Zalbaloza brothers were running the show," the informant further said.
La Paz district area was then reportedly controlled by "Mommy Fe", "Bulani", "Italyano", "Umok", and "Mike."
"Bulani", nephew of the late alleged gambling capitalist Nilo Soliva, was the first to fall in a renewed anti-drugs campaign initiated by then Metrodistrict Command chief, Col. Vicente Neptuno, who used K--9 dogs to track down illegal substances in raids.
"The playing field was even and Boyet Odicta was among the ordinary players. There were no drug lords then," Strawberry disclosed.

PROMINENT

"The most prominent name in illegal drugs at that time was Boysi Maloto of Molo district. He was connected to the late former Pototan Vice Mayor Pito Parcon. Maloto was killed by anti-narcotics operatives led by Col. Arada in a raid in his hideout in Molo," Strawberry added.
"When Maloto fell, the Odicta couple moved in. They started to gain the respect and trust of big time shabu suppliers in the Bilibid because Boyet Odicta did not use drugs and was only interested in business together with Meriam," he said.
Strawberry further revealed: "The names of Prevendido brothers emerged in Brgy. Bakhaw, Mandurriao and their alleged protector was a high-ranking police general from New Lucena, Iloilo."

SERIOUS

When serious competitions for distribution in the city and province started in mid-90's, violence started to escalate and Odicta reportedly emerged with upper hand because he utilized ex-convicts from the BJMP and New Bilibid Prison to neutralize his rivals and murder those who stood on their way.
"Odicta finally gained control of illegal drugs business in Western Visayas when his rivals started to fall in police raids one after another, and when suppliers in the Bilibid gave him their full trust and confidence. With Meriam's built-in tentacles inherited from Bondying Porras, they became formidable," Strawberry concluded. "Odicta solidified his hold of illegal drugs trade when he perfected the protection racket scheme by including in his alleged payola corrupt members of the PNP, government, media, and judiciary." 

Odicta once arrested for 'snatching'

"To have once been a criminal is no disgrace. To remain a criminal is the disgrace." -- Malcolm X

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- I first heard the name Melvin "Boyet" Odicta in the early 90's when I edited the stories of our police beat reporters,  Ruby Silubrico and Ednalyn Belonio-Diamante, in Sun Star, a daily newspaper in Western Visayas in the Philippines.
If Odicta was not arrested in a buy-bust operation and raids conducted by elements of the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) then headed by Supt. Vicente Neptuno in his residence in Brgy. Tanza-Esperanza, City Proper, he was nabbed for, believe it or not, snatching!
Since Odicta was never convicted of snatching, either complainants refused to pursue the case for fear of reprisal or lack of interest, or he was a victim of a mistaken identity as he had insisted, according to police.
In other words, the man who raked in millions of pesos allegedly in trafficking of illegal drugs in year 2000 up and became the most-feared character in the underworld, started as small fry.
Odicta had always insisted he was a legitimate businessman. They operated a taxi company and a restaurant. 

'DRUG LORD'

The man tagged by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and by no less than Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Director Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa as "the drug lord", reportedly began as a mere street hooligan.
His sudden transformation from alleged small-time trafficker and "snatcher" to big-time "drug lord" was meteoric, to say the least.
It was when Odicta began to "collaborate" with Merriam Regalado-Porras, who became Mrs. Meriam Odicta, that his name became a byword and his empire ballooned.
Meriam was widow of the notorious gangster Tikboy Porras of Pototan, Iloilo. Porras was murdered reportedly by his former cohorts in a beach resort in Iloilo City in early 80s.
Porras, who also reportedly dabbled as hired killer, was one of the fast-rising illegal drug traffickers in Iloilo province when he was killed, police said. 
Police said it was possible that Meriam "inherited" her dead husband's connections and sources in the illicit deals.

CONVICT

When Odicta was sentenced to life imprisonment for violation of Republic Act 6425 or the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1972, he met some of the jailed criminal bigwigs in the New Bilibid Prison, believed to be the source of first-grade metamphetamine chloride or shabu.
Authorities viewed his alleged connections in the New Bilibid Prison mafia plus Meriam's "well-entrenched" tentacles as "formidable" combinations.
When he was released under a controversial circumstance in the 90's, Odicta made a name in the underworld as "Dragon", his nom de guerre in the New Bilibid Prison probably inspired by the huge dragon tattoo on his body. 
Dragon was reportedly both feared by his rivals and admired by his cohorts. His connections were so wide and powerful that he became untouchable for a long time, police said.
The Odicta couple were gunned down by unidentified assailants as they arrived via ro-ro in Caticlan, Aklan on August 29.
They came from a meeting with Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Ismael "Mike" Sueno in Metro Manila where they reportedly submitted a list containing the "illegal drug trade matrix", a report denied by the couple's lawyers.

Dragon stares at death but couldn't spit fire

"He who does not prevent a crime when he can, encourages it."
--Lucius Annaeus Seneca

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- In the hands of his executioners, suspected drug lord Melvin "Boyet" Odicta Sr, popularly known as "Dragon", saw imminent death.
Based on manner of his execution, there was no way Dragon could escape and survive.
A gunman shot Dragon and wife Merriam as they alighted from a roll-on roll-off vessel at around 1:30 a.m. in Caticlan, Aklan August 28, Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Superintendent Dionardo Carlos confirmed.
"Please get me out of here," Dragon, limping with a bullet wound on the right foot, pleaded to his lawyer Gualberto Cataluna over mobile phone.

The most feared underworld personality could not even spit a fire as he struggled to avoid being finished off after surviving the first volley of shots. 

TRAP

But he was trapped. And Dragon probably knew he was finished.
Dragon was supposed to be brought to a Malay hospital but witnesses, including Cataluna, claimed policemen handcuffed him.
Minutes later, the man considered as "the most powerful and well-connected drug lord" in Western Visayas, was dead.
He had bullet wounds in the body and head, it was reported.
Before he died, Dragon witnessed how his wife, Merriam, was peppered with bullets in the back.  
The Odictas were declared dead on arrival in the hospital.
The couple were on their way to Iloilo from Manila where they were reported earlier to have "surrendered" to Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Ismael Sueno.
Cataluna insisted they sought Sueno's help because of threats they were getting in Iloilo and did not surrender.
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Director Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa earlier tagged Dragon as "the drug lord." He had vowed to wipe out all the drug lords in six months.

EVIDENCE

There was no evidence that the hard-hitting PNP chief had ordered Dragon's killing. He asserted that he does not tolerate summary executions but vowed to "get hard" on criminals, especially the drug lords.
For a while, Dragon seemed untouchable. 
He repeatedly denied envolvement in trafficking of illegal drugs insisting he was a legitimate taxi operator. The couple managed the Melvin taxi company, among other businesses in Iloilo City.
For so many years now, a mere mention of Dragon's name evoked fears among local law enforcers, business rivals, politicians, and crusading mediamen.
He had "friends" in almost all sectors and organizations. He was also reportedly a "benevolent" election campaign contributor.
Residents in places where Dragon had businesses and houses wouldn't comment about the nature of his other "businesses" and sources of income, we were informed. He also reportedly provided sacks of rice, cash for tuition and hospital bills, among other financial assistance, to poor neighbors.

CORRUPT

Some corrupt cops, politicians, thugs, and media personalities were reportedly under his payroll. 
Some of the unsolved gruesome murders involving policemen, media personalities, underworld characters and even ordinary employees had been reportedly linked to Dragon and his associates.
No charges have been filed against them, however, in relation to these gangland-style killings.
Aksyon Radyo, a local radio station in Iloilo City, became Dragon's fiercest critic and continued to expose his alleged illegal activities amid threats of reprisal and harassment.
Dragon and his cohorts had been charged with trying to invade the radio station two years ago. They were caught on CCTV seizing some gadget owned by the radio station during the raid.
Dragon's death reportedly left a vaccum in the leadership of illegal drugs in the city and province of Iloilo. 

TENTACLES

"At least his tentacles will now start to be decimated now that the main head has been cut off," a namesake, Boyet, who now lives in California, said. "He was probably killed by his protectors for fear he might squeal on their partnership."
Boyet said some of Dragon's protectors "are so powerful and prominent. Ilonggos will be shocked if they will know who they are."
Boyet, a former underworld character, said Dragon's protectors had been "looking for the right opportunity" to strike starting when they learned that Dragon's name was included in the list of suspected drug lords in the country secured by President Rodrigo Duterte.
"They have finally caught him up in Caticlan," Boyet averred. "Happy days (for the Ilonggos) will come again (after Dragon's demise)."

L'affaire Odictas: 'Dragon' outsmarts 'Bato'

"Let me be clear-no one is above the law. Not a politician, not a priest, not a criminal, not a police officer. We are all accountable for our actions." Antonio Villaraigosa

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- They can't put a "bad" man down?
Several days before Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Director General Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa, visited Iloilo City in the Philippines on August 26, suspected drug lord, Melvin "Boyet" Odicta Sr., popularly known as "Dragon" in Western Visayas, grabbed headlines when he and wife Merriam "surrendered" to Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Ismael Sueno in Manila.
Lawyers Gualberto Cataluna and Sigred Fortun clarified later that their clients, fearing for their lives, "only sought the help" of the DILG. The lawyers refused to use the word "surrender" since no warrant of arrest has been issued against the couple.
The Odictas denied they were involved in trafficking of illegal drugs. They operate a taxi company and a restaurant, among other businesses in Iloilo City tagged as "the most shabulized" city in the country by President Rodrigo Duterte.
Smart move for the lawyers. 
Not-so-good publicity for Sueno and DILG.

HOSPITALITY

In the first place, why would Sueno accord the Odicta couple the kind of "hospitality" reserved for local government officials and cops?
The Odictas are not elected public officials. They are not even members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and PNP. 
Can any businessman tagged as having connections with the underworld seek asylum in the DILG if heat has become unbearable in the kitchen?
Can any drug lord or suspected drug lord hide behind the curtains of a government agency like DILG if police authorities are hot after their heels?
Where will the Odictas' visit fit in the DILG's objective "to enhance LGU capacities to improve their performance and enable them to effectively and efficiently deliver services to their constituents"?
The timing of Odicta couple's visit to the DILG was suspect. The lawyers--or the Odictas themselves--probably knew Dela Rosa was set to arrive in Iloilo City for a series of speaking engagements and inspections last August 26, thus they beat the PNP chief to the draw when they hobnobbed with the DILG.
Sueno has a lot of explaining to do for "L'affaire Odictas". Did he only accommodate friend Cataluna, a former inmate in South Cotabato where Sueno served as officer-in-charge (OIC) during the term of the late former President Corazon Aquino?

REFUSE

On the other hand, Dela Rosa refused to buy the claims of the Odictas that they are not engaged in selling of shabu in Western Visayas.
"Tell it to the marines," Dela Rosa was quoted by Philippines newspapers as saying in response to the Odictas' denial.
Dela Rosa, who was mobbed by Ilonggo fans, can always get a lot of pogi points each time he issued tirades against the drug lords. But it can't be denied that Dragon was able to outsmart Bato in the most recent episode of the nationwide campaign by the Duterte administration against illegal drugs.
After the smoke has been cleared, Dela Rosa was back in Metro Manila. The Odictas were back in Iloilo.
It was like a mouse and cat game. Now that the cat is away, it's time for the mouse to once again play.

WIPE OUT

In six months, Dela Rosa has vowed to wipe out criminals in the country and resign if he can't deliver.  The clock is ticking on that project. This allusion to a stopwatch is often used as an admonition to speed something up.
"Humanda na kayo. Sasagasaan namin kayo. Mag imbak na kayo ng armas (Be prepared. We will run you over. Start stockpiling your arms now)" was Dela Rosa's famous battlecry several weeks before he assumed office as PNP chief.
But Dragon, with his battery of cracked lawyers and the DILG leading the potpourri of charades, appears to have the last laugh. 
Meanwhile, more than 1,000 lives have lost in "summary executions" related to campaign against illegal drugs nationwide as of press time, and the United Nations isn't pleased with the death statistics. 
Most of them were suspected assets allegedly "silenced" so they couldn't rat against rogue cops. 
Most of them were small fries. Not drug lords.

Kune Salinas, victim of a corrupt system

"If it's never our fault, we can't take responsibility for it. If we can't take responsibility for it, we'll always be its victim." Richard Bach

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- We don't fault Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales for unveiling the guillotine on 19 Philippine National Police (PNP) officials over the anomalous purchase of coastal boats in 2009.
She did a good job. 
Aside from dismissal from service, the crooks should have been sent to jail.
The P4.54-million police coastal craft procurement scam was another blot in the image of the PNP organization and heads should definitely roll. 
Kudos to the Office of the Ombudsman.
But while we extol the Ombudman's performance, we can't help but commiserate with the other sacked PNP officials who may have been innocent in the scandal.
Like Senior Superintendent Cornelio "Kune" Salinas, director of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO).

IMPLICATE

Spotless in 31 years of service, Salinas was implicated for being a member of the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC).
He was also the chief of the PNP Maritime Group’s Operations Management at the time of the boats' procurement. 
When the defective boats were delivered, Salinas was no longer with the Maritime Group as he was already transferred to the Police Regional Office 6.
He later learned that the Maritime Group did not accept the substandard boats when delivered by the supplier, Four Petals Trading.
The trouble was the Inspection and Acceptance Committee of the PNP’s Logistics Support Services (IAC-LSS) under Superintendent Job Marasigan issued a certificate of acceptance and paid the supplier.
Salinas swore he did not steal a single centavo from the transaction, but neither denied nor confirmed that some PNP officials indeed made money.

'GOOD GUY'

According to Gov. Arthur "Art" Defensor Sr., Salinas is a "good guy." He was not referring, of course, to Salinas' role in the boat brouhaha, but on his overall performance as a police official serving the Iloilo province.
Based on Salinas' emotional narration of facts to members of media recently and the circumstances that developed leading to the boats' procurement, he could be innocent.
Salinas could be a victim of a corrupt system in the procurement process involving government properties where membership in the BAC can lead to the abyss even if he didn't dip his finger in the cookie jar.  
Was it possible that when Ombudsman Morales meted the "severe" penalty, which included the accessory penalties of perpetual disqualification from reemployment in the government service, forfeiture of retirement benefits and cancellation of civil service eligibility, she failed to separate the chaffs from the grains?

ROTTEN

Were the good guys lumped with the organization's rotten apples under the principle of "an act of one is an act of all"?
In trying to slay the dragon of corruption, the Ombudsman probably wanted to eliminate both its head and body to ensure a total victory.
Salinas and other BAC members probably became accidental villains by virtue of their presence in the dragon's intestines.
We wish Colonel Salinas the best of luck as he tries to weather the storm by seeking for a Temporary Retraining Order (TRO) before the Court of Appeals and for filing a Motion for Reconsideration (MR).
If he is really pristine, as the saying goes, no one can put a good man down.

What we remember is Bugoy’s smiling face

“Let my soul smile through my heart and my heart smile through my eyes, that I may scatter rich smiles in sad hearts.” 

Paramahansa Yogananda

By Alex P. Vidal

ILOILO lost one of its most brilliant and truly outstanding leaders with the demise of Vicente “Bugoy” Molejona last February 22.

The pride of Miag-ao, Iloilo had been struggling against small cell lung carcinoma with solitary brain metastasis for almost three years before his death.

In November 2013, I was privileged to be invited by Molejona to do the official confirmation in public through an article that he was stricken by a cancer “in order to end the guessing game.”

Molejona reached me through the social media and other means of communication available.

He wanted also to see his kumpare journalist, Limuel Celebria, and former student, Rhod Tecson of RMN Iloilo.

I arrived in his residence in Miag-ao, some 43 kilometers away from Iloilo City, in the dead of night.

His wife, Ma. Dulce, and eldest son, Jose Angelo, a Miag-ao municipal councilor, guided me to Molejona’s room where the retired Population Commission (Popcom) regional director embraced me amid tears.

The other details of my visit will be narrated in a separate article.

I am always proud to tell friends and relatives that I placed Molejona on top of my list of public servants who really deserved my admiration.

It’s impossible not to admire Molejona. 

He was a smiling face personified. He could afford to flash a smile even when he was not feeling well. 

He smiled a lot that even his detractors were ashamed to hate him.

People who worked with him and under him can spend hours talking about the greatness of the man.

In all his life as a public servant starting as a provincial board member in 1988, he was never implicated in graft and corruption. Then presidential candidate and now Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago was so impressed with his credentials and immaculate record that she picked him as the official vice gubernatorial bet of the People's Reform Party (PRP) in 1992.

I became enamored with Molejona, who also sat one time as OIC governor, when I covered the Iloilo capitol beat from 1989 to 1992.

He was honest, down-to-earth, and hard-working. He was very unassuming and approachable, a friend of the highest-ranking executives and the lowest-ranking utility personnel.

As administrator of the Iloilo Sports Complex and one of the sports executives, Molejona appointed me as editor-in-chief of Palaro Journal, official newsletter of the 1991 Palarong Pambansa hosted by Iloilo province.

According to Molejona, the late former Vice Governor Ramon Duremdes “was the true unsung hero of Iloilo sports.”

He wanted me write a separate story about Duremdes, one of the well-loved Iloilo leaders in this generation.

We can never forget Molejona. All we can remember always is his smiling face.

-o0o-

IN our society, the most powerful have become those who are carrying the tag of “lords” – the drug lords and the gambling lords.

If the “lord” is into drug trafficking and illegal gambling to boot, it’s not remote that he will also become a warlord.

Warlords have the guns, goons and gold.

They have the resources and capability of sowing terror and killing people.

Especially those who pose as obstacles in their illegal activities. Journalists and cops included.

But there is another way to “silence” the law enforcers and the media watchdogs.

Bribe them.

Once there is money involved, it’s easy to divide and rule—and conquer.

When a journalist attacks a fellow journalist that exposes the evil of illegal drugs and illegal gambling, it’s a telltale sign that someone has become a scoundrel and transformed into a mercenary.

It’s not only grossly unethical to hit a fellow media practitioner for doing his job, it’s also alarming and scandalous, to say the least.

When a policeman murders a fellow policeman who investigates and apprehends illegal gambling operators and drug traffickers, it’s a red flag that a uniformed officer has been transformed into a hooligan by the power of money and gold.

It’s a disaster for the campaign against lawlessness and evil.

SPATE

The recent spate of killings involving crusading cops in Negros will bolster our hypothesis.

The most recent murder Senior Police Officer 2 Edcel Villanueva of the Calatrava police station was traced to his job as anti-drugs crusader.

Villanueva was shot around 7:50 p.m. on February 23 on Gustilo Street, Barangay 5, San Carlos City while on his way home.

The murder came a week after Senior Police Officer 4 Roger Cañete of Silay City police station, an anti-illegal drugs investigator, was gunned down on his way home to EB Magalona.

Last January 27, Police Officer 2 Jan Gallenero Jr. of the La Carlota police office was peppered with bullets.

In those murders, the suspected assailants were fellow policemen and their civilian cohorts, except in the case of Villanueva whose perpetrators were not yet identified as of press time.

No less than Negros Rep. Jeffrey Ferrer and Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. have expressed alarm over the successive killings of crusading cops.

It seems that some law enforcers have become not only lawbreakers, but also henchmen and mercenaries of drug lords and gambling lords.  

‘Justice not tears and money’

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

By Alex P. Vidal

Justice not plaques and material compensations.

Action not words.

Toughness not cold-heart.

Political will not empty statements.

A leader must always be ready to swim and sink for his men.

This was what former Iloilo City deputy mayor Pascualing R. “Junie” Espinosa Jr. emphasized when he recently urged President Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III “not to be soft” on the massacre of 44 Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) in Mamasapano, Mindanao last January 25.  

“President Aquino, as head of the state and commander-in-chief of the police and military, should show the murderers of the 44 SAF troopers that he has the balls,” thundered Espinosa, son of the late Iloilo City Rep. Pascual “Pascualing” Espinosa Sr.

“What the families of the fallen SAF men need is justice. He should identify the murderers of the 44 SAF men and file charges against them.”

DEPUTY

Espinosa, a lawyer who served as deputy mayor of the late Iloilo City mayor Rodolf T. Ganzon in 1989, said once the warrant of arrest has been issued by the court against the Bangsa Moro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) men who participated in the carnage, “the president should use the armed forces of the state to run after the perpetrators. That’s how our justice system should work.”

BIFF is a splintered armed group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) which has a peace pact with the government.

“What happened was carnage. And it was done against the policemen who defended our government. In effect, it was an assault against the government,” he hollered.

“When our government is under attack, you will only give medals and money to the wives of the fallen policemen? You will only give scholarships to their children?”

He added: “I’m not against the giving of plaques and medals; I’m not against the scholarships. What the president should do is to show the enemy that he is firm, tough and ready to give justice. No display of tears. No display of sorrows!”

ORDINARY

When an ordinary thief or jaywalker is caught, he is brought to court, penalized and jailed under our justice system, Espinosa emphasized.

“When our cops are murdered, you will only cry?” he intoned.

President Aquino must show some firmness and toughness when dealing with rebels who want to divide the country, Espinosa stressed.

“Show the enemy that we are the state,” he suggested. “The state should not and cannot be a hostage of the rebels. The state must show its might and power and it is true the justice system and our armed forces.”

Espinosa wants the next leader of the country to be “a decisive and tough guy.”

“What we need is a leader who will enforce peace and order and implement genuine justice to the people through the rule of law and not lex taliones or law of the jungle,” Espinosa asserted.

Spirited show of support for 2 jailed Iloilo cops

“Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish.” Sam Walton

By Alex P. Vidal

WHAT the Philippine National Police (PNP) needs today is leadership by example.

The morale of the members of the controversy-laden organization is boosted when their superior officers show exemplary acts when the goings get tough.  

But unlike PNP Director General Alan Purisima who has been playing Houdini these past weeks, Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) director, Senior Superintendent Cornelio Salinas displayed a classic leadership when he personally visited the two policemen detained at the Iloilo Provincial Integrated Jail in Barangay Nanga, Pototan, Iloilo for murder.

Inspector Rey Castro and PO3 Aaron Gaton are not yet convicted criminals though.

They were ordered arrested by Judge Rene Hortillo of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 68 for the killing of poultry dealer Arlie Decolongon at the Dumangas public market in Dumangas, Iloilo on January 2, 2014.

PURSUE

Decolongon’s family pursued the case against Castro, then the Dumangas deputy police chief, and Gaton, then the Dumangas police investigator.

The two tackled Decolongon when they responded to a complaint that an armed civilian was acting unruly inside the public market at around 11 o’clock in the morning.

Efforts to pacify Decolongon reportedly proved futile when the latter shot the cops but missed. 

Senior Inspector Jonathan Pinuela, then the Dumangas police chief, confirmed that Castro shot Decolongon on the left thigh to neutralize him.

Decolongon reportedly tried to shoot them again but Castro fatally mowed him down with his .9mm service pistol.

The responding police officer claimed they killed Decolongon “in self defense” and the encounter happened “in the line of duty.”

Salinas stood by his men.

“Our men only defended themselves from someone who was armed with a gun and trying to shoot them,” declared Salinas, who was accompanied by lawyer Troy Warren Cayanan and Iloilo Police Provincial Office’s (IPPO) 1st Maneuver Platoon head, Inspector Marlon Girasol.

They handed to Castro and Gaton grocery items and some cash for their families.

SHOES

Any embattled cop in the shoes of Castro and Gaton would be elated after Salinas assured the two cops that the IPPO, the Police Regional Office-6 and the Capitol led by Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. would support them all the way.

The act of voluntarily surrendering to Salinas after the warrant for their arrest came out two weeks ago was a sign that Castro and Gaton gamely accepted their fate and were prepared to undergo trial proceedings.

As professional police officers, they did not circumvent the law and submitted themselves peacefully.

Unlike some high-profile political personalities like former senator Panfilo Lacson and former Palawan governor Joel Reyes, who used their connections and resources to disappear like comets when news about their impending arrest came out.

Castro and Gaton believe that every episode that transpired after they killed Decolongon was only part of the democratic system.

RESPECT

With due respect to the Decolongon family, who is the aggrieved party here, Salinas should be credited for the moral support he gave the two inmates. 

His acts of personally visiting and giving them assurances of total support from the PNP organization must have brought instant optimism and buoyancy in the cops' detention cell.

In their darkest hours, the two police officers needed the kind of moral support shown by Salinas and the inmates’ classmates in the police organization.

From being law enforcers they now find themselves in the company of other lawless elements detained in the same facility.

PNP leaders can’t afford to be indifferent when their men are the ones on the defensive position, let alone accused of a criminal offense.

A true leader must be able to read the psyche of his embattled men and be able to inspire them despite their setback when they lest expect it.

Will cops behave if they get a P50,000/monthly pay?

“Let me be clear - no one is above the law. Not a politician, not a priest, not a criminal, not a police officer. We are all accountable for our actions.” Antonio Villaraigosa

By Alex P. Vidal

Another reason why members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) are demoralized aside from their low salary is because of the way they are treated by our justice system after doing their job.

Take the case of Inspector Rey Castro and PO3 Aaron Gaton.

They were ordered arrested by Judge Rene Hortillo of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 68 for the killing of poultry dealer Pinky Decolongon at the Dumangas public market in Dumagas, Iloilo early this year.

Castro was the town deputy police chief while Gaton was investigator when the incident happened on January 2, 2014.

The two responded to a complaint that a man was making trouble inside the public market at around 11 o’clock in the morning.

When they pacified the suspect identified as Decolongon, the latter fired at the cops but missed, according to Senior Inspector Jonathan Pinuela, former Dumangas police chief.

Castro shot Decolongon on the left thigh to neutralize him, Pinuela added.

SHOOT

When the suspect tried to shoot them anew, Castro reportedly finished him off with his .9mm service pistol.

The cops insisted they killed Decolongon “in self defense” and the encounter happened “in the line of duty.”

It was Decolongon’s family that pursued the case against Castro and Gaton, it was learned.

The family insisted the cops murdered the wounded and defenseless Decolongon.

When the arrest warrant came out the other week, they voluntarily surrendered one after another to Senior Superintendent Cornelio Salinas, Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) director.

The two cops are now detained at the Iloilo Provincial Integrated Jail in Barangay Nanga, Pototan, Iloilo.

This scenario where the cops land in jail for a job-related offense is sending mixed signals to other cops.

When confronted with the same situation like the one in the Dumangas public market in the future, other cops will no longer react according to how they were trained to react as law enforcers in the face of imminent danger.

Because of what happened to Castro and Gaton, the other cops will now face a dilemma of damned if you do and damned if you don’t when in the same situation with Castro and Gaton.

-o0o-

Will a low-ranking policeman who gets a P50,000 monthly salary stay away from temptations of committing crimes like “hulidap” and "kotong"?

Will a police chief superintendent who brings home a monthly salary of P200,000 to P500,000 reject a monthly payola from illegal gambling and other organized syndicates?

This is the question that authorities should study and deal with seriously if the proposal of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte will push through or taken into consideration.

Duterte said he would implement the eye-catching salary increase once he becomes president of the country.

The mayor believes that the reason why some cops are engaged in criminal activities like the members of the La Loma PNP in Quezon City, is because they get only P18,000 a month.

‘KULANG’

He described it as “kulang na kulang talaga yan.”

One way to discourage them from doing monkey business while in police service is to increase their salaries and other privileges, according to the tough mayor known for executing criminals in his city.

Duterte’s proposal must have sent shivers down the spine of other rogue cops beholden to crime syndicates.

Because they are at the beck and call of crime syndicates, these ruffians in uniform can’t just easily severe their ties with the underworld or face the consequences—even if they receive the “decent” monthly pay from the government as suggested by Duterte.

But Duterte must run and win first before this proposal will be realized. 

PNP intelligence fails to monitor cyber criminals

“The idea that the police cannot ask questions of the person that knows most about the crime is an infamous decision.”  Edwin Meese III

By Alex P. Vidal

If not for the tips provided by the Manila-based Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) to the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Manila, the 44 Taiwanese nationals arrested in two raids conducted in the districts of Mandurriao and Jaro in Iloilo City last July 9 for cyber money laundering and telecommunications fraud would still be operating until today.

If they were already in Iloilo City as early as March 2014, why is it that their operations for the last four months were never detected?

With their number, Ilonggos must have seen some if not all of them in shopping malls and in other public places.

For sure, they also commuted in cabs and passenger jeeps and mixed with crowd when they went outside. Hence, the PNP’s intelligence radar should have monitored, or at least gathered reports about the existence of these visitors in two prominent subdivisions.

We’re lucky that these cyber criminals were not terrorists: they would have blown a large part of our city to smithereens. They would have murdered a lot of Ilonggos, plant bombs in schools, government buildings and business establishments. Ilonggos would have been caught flat-footed while the city was being attacked.

LONG

Four months is a long period for the terrorists to prepare or launch a sneak or kamikaze attack. We hate to stretch our imagination too far, but in dealing with terrorists, it is always better to be two steps ahead than be sorry and dead.   

The sleuthing job for the activities of these Taiwanese visitors was supposed to be not hard. If they rented a house at Phase 5 Imperial VI Subdivision in Brgy. Guzman-Jesena, Mandurriao and at Ledesco Village in Jaro, the residents would have noticed suspicious body movements because of their number.

It’s very unusual for more than 20 persons—all foreign nationals—to stay in one rented subdivision house for more than one month without rousing the suspicion or curiosity of residents in the neighborhood, especially the village officials.

All 44 suspects may have swapped "duties" in the two houses, which they used as headquarters, every now and then. Different faces mixing in two different houses.

According to one elderly male resident, he suspected something fishy when the Taiwanese visitors would never go out, thus he called the attention of their unnamed village official.

OFFICIAL

Police should investigate why this village official did not alert them earlier. In intelligence report gathering, any tip—serious or just a slip of the tongue—should be considered a breakthrough. No stone should be left unturned during the verification stage.

Supt. Bernard Yang, chief of the PNP’s anti-cyber-crime group based in Camp Crame, Quezon City, told the Ilolio press that the syndicate’s main targets were citizens of mainland China.

They reportedly pretended as representatives of police, insurance companies and courts and duped or coerced gullible individuals and companies mostly in mainland China to deposit large amount of money in a “safe” account or face prosecution for money laundering.

It’s a form of extortion racket.

Despite the delay in information of the syndicate’s presence in our city, we must still laud city police director, Senior Supt. Ruperto Floro, and city police intelligence chief, Supt. Ipil Dueñas and their men, for raiding the house at Ledesco Village where ring leader Chun His Hsu and 19 other fellow Taiwanese nationals were arrested.

We must credit them because no life was lost during the raids, conducted through the search warrants issued by Regional Trial Court, Branch 66 Manila Judge Rainelda Estacaio-Montesa.

Because nobody resisted arrest, police did not have hellish moments to manacle all of them. An excellent job for the raiding team.

We hope all the syndicate members were accounted for and no one managed to slip away. We also hope that police will look into a possibility that the syndicate may have Filipino contacts.