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With the nation facing multiple crises and emergencies on various fronts, young men aspiring to become officers of the Philippine National Police keep themselves busy with perverted matters.
Three second-year cadets of the Philippine National Police Academy were arrested on April 7 and could face expulsion on charges of exposing 22 plebes to toxic drain cleaner and muriatic acid within the PNPA camp on April 3.
The 22 plebes underwent medical treatment, mostly for burns, and given two weeks to recuperate. The three suspects are in PNP custody and undergoing inquest for possible violations of Republic Act 11053 or the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018.
Either those three suspects are too stupid to know how harmful muriatic acid and drain cleaner can be, or they knew exactly what they were doing and wanted to torture and mutilate their underclassmen.
Why do such beasts dream not only of joining the PNP, but becoming its officers? Surely the examples set by abusive and crooked members of the police force helped develop that mindset.
PNP members are supposed to enforce the law. Instead there have been too many cases of cops breaking various laws.
In the previous administration, extrajudicial killing was framed as an indispensable tool of law enforcement and swift justice. Corruption scandals have plagued the police force, starting with the first PNP chief. Cops have been implicated in organized crime including carjacking, ransom kidnapping, bank robbery and drug trafficking. Several have been accused of rape, even by their female colleagues in the PNP.
Cops have also been accused of torture and other gross human rights violations. With such examples of criminal and psychopathic behavior, it’s not surprising that accusations of wrongdoing keep emerging at the PNPA.
And if aspiring PNP officers start their career with such inhuman brutality, it’s also little wonder that the PNP faces serious problems related to human rights.
At least the three upperclassmen were caught and may face punishment. Anthony France Ramos, a married police major, was also promptly sacked from the PNP over accusations of sexual assault hurled against him by PNPA cadets.
Their cases highlight the importance of inculcating the proper values in the PNP, beginning at the recruitment stage.
After the gross abuses in the bloody campaign against illegal drugs, the PNP needs thorough cleansing and a reset. The latest scandal in the PNPA should add urgency to this task.
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Credit belongs to: www.philstar.com
