Death, Tragedy, Incompetence, yet at the Core: Corruption

The tragic death of 8 Chinese tourists at the hands of suspended policeman Rolando Mendoza is a sad yet bloody reminder that the Philippines can be a dangerous place even for foreigners who had entrusted their care, and lives, into the hands of our tourism industry. News of the carnage is plastered in major global newspapers including today’s (Aug 25) issues of the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. TV news accounts are even more graphic and macabre.

Needless to say the Philippines will not be a favorite vacation spot for many Chinese and others. For now, this is the very least of our worries even if the country can surely use the lost tourism dollars.

The word “incompetence” has been used in describing the law enforcement actions and overall performance in handling and managing this crisis. Yet, in my opinion, what really ails our law enforcement and military establishments, the two institutions charged with ensuring the peace and security of the Philippine citizenry, is corruption at all levels of these organizations. It is no secret that police and military positions are highly coveted. They are sure fire routes to riches. From traffic control to vice squad to theft, burglaries and other major crimes, the common perception among the people is that law and justice is there only for the rich and powerful. For all the rest, the small businessman, the employees, the housewives, the students, the street vendors trying to eke out a living – those people once referred to by Ramon Magsaysay as the common tao- the amount of justice they can expect is commensurate to how much they are prepared to shell out to those who wield authority and power. I’m sure there are honest military and law enforcement personnel but these seem to be so rare that one hardly hears of them.

It is corruption that undermines competence and professionalism. How does a policeman get a job on the force? Usually via a note or a phone call or direct personal intercession by a political padrino. And once on the force the policeman’s “untouchability” is vastly proportionate to the importance and clout of his or her patron.

Let’s take a close look at the case of the late Rolando Mendoza, the gunman
in this tragedy. What drove him to take his desperate act? Perhaps the realization that unless he got reinstated his life of luxury was probably over? I do not have the facts in his case and I have to admit that I am merely surmising and imagining what really was going on (perhaps it is quixotic to expect that pure, unencumbered truth will be available from the police hierarchy). Was Mendoza perhaps aggrieved that he was caught extorting money from whoever and was punished when others on the force who perhaps committed even bigger crimes got off scot free? Was he upset that his superior or whoever disciplined him had no “pakikisama” and singled him out? Definitely not beyond the realm of possibility.

And let’s look at his behavior on the day of the carnage. Here he was, armed to the teeth, flagging down a tourist bus because he had to “hitch a ride” to the grandstand.

Whatever happened to police transportation? Is the police force so lacking in equipment and materials because a large portion of the police budget is salted away by the bigwigs in the form of bribes, overpricing and other form of thievery?
In flagging down the bus Mendoza acted as if he was “entitled” to that ride regardless of how ugly the scene must look to those tourists. And the driver of the bus knew that if he refused to open the bus doors and let that policeman on board that he could very well be the victim of harassment for the rest of his life. And this sense of entitlement by virtue of a position of power or authority is pervasive in Philippine daily life.

Anyway, corruption, that is the point of this piece. It pervades all aspects of police work. Poor training? Who conducts the training program? Who are selected for specialized positions? If the job is one that does not afford the policeman an opportunity to make extra income the lowest man on the competence or patronage totem pole is likely the one picked. If a third party, privately owned entity were to provide the training, how much would that business have to spend in grease money to get the contract? Needless to say they would skimp on the actual training to manage their costs and obtain a profit. This is true in almost all aspects of life in the Philippines, not just police and military.

And these conditions reportedly prevail in military quarters as well. All we get are whispers about this or that general, or colonel or captain have this or that business interest. Most of the businessmen and professionals affected are deathly scared to be identified as the source of reports of alleged corruption. Exposing the corruption or complaining about it can be a deadly mistake. The saddest bit of news in fact is that military officers have been said to be heading this or that gang of criminals and thieves responsible for heists and kidnappings. I’m sure that to the readers of this piece, this is not the first time they have heard of this scandal.

Reports are that the Philippine leaders are looking at this bloody tragedy as the impetus to institute reform, training and professionalism. This is well and good, but it will be for naught if corruption is not completely and decisively removed from the equation. I hope that President Aquino will indeed use this incident to effect a massive, far reaching and substantive shake up of the police and military establishments so that at long last the guardians of our people can and will finally begin doing their jobs. Failing to transform the character and nature of our military and law enforcement organizations will render useless and inutile all other efforts at curtailing and eliminating corruption in government.

ldq44@aol.com