Iloilo cops aren’t magicians to totally eradicate illegal gambling

By Alex P. Vidal

“Not only are police officers often taken for granted, many people are highly vocal about their dislike for cops.”—Karen Salmansohn

IF it was true that Police Colonel Ronaldo Palomo was sacked as Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) director and replaced as officer-in-charge (OIC) by Police Colonel Bayani Razalan for his failure to stop illegal gambling or “bookies” in Iloilo Province, it didn’t augur well with the PNP’s reputation as a professional organization.

Early this year, Police Regional Office-6 (PRO-6) director Police Brigadier General Jack Wanky threatened to remove provincial and even municipal police commanders who couldn’t produce dramatic results in the campaign against illegal gambling.

Passi City pride Palomo, recommended by no less than Governor Arthur “Toto” Defensor Jr., must have failed to reach Wanky’s expectations.

In fact, Colonel Palomo received ultimatum from General Wanky after logging only three “successful” operations against illegal gambling between March 3 and 10, according to reports.

“Between March 3 and 10” means within a span of seven days. Were the three “successful” operations not enough in seven days which is equivalent to one week?

How many successful raids the police directors have to log in order to avoid being axed?

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Did General Wanky expect Colonel Palomo to raid illegal gambling dens daily and produce the same number of positive results?

Unless Colonel Palomo was superman or magician no one would believe he could produce more than the number of positive results in raids against illegal gambling operations General Wanky had wanted him or any provincial police director in the region for that matter to submit.

It’s not fair for the likes of Colonel Palomo to be “punished” for the failure to perform an almost impossible task.

If all other police directors in other provinces and municipalities fail to successfully raid illegal gambling lairs more than four to five times a week, will they all be replaced like Colonel Palomo?

Will there be a mass ejection in all other police offices in other provinces and municipalities under the PRO-6 if their directors happen to also “commit” the same “shortcomings” made by Colonel Palomo?

It’s mind-boggling why Governor Toto Defensor approved Wanky’s recommendation to sack Colonel Palomo who could be an asset against the campaign against other forms of criminal activities in the province, and not just against illegal gambling.

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Some of the 19 best solutions to the global freshwater crisis captured by a GlobeScan and SustainAbility poll of more than 1200 leading international experts in 80 countries (last of two parts).

—Improve water catchment and harvesting. Water catchment systems are essential for areas with no other reliable water sources. Pakistan and India—two countries that contend with some of the worst effects of climate change—are overhauling rainwater harvesting systems. These efforts provide independent control of water resources.

—Look to community-based governance and partnerships. Community organizations elevate the experiences of those whose voices merit more influence. In April, for instance, indigenous groups met at the alternative climate change conference in Bolivia, a gathering meant to foster international partnerships among underrepresented groups. Ensuring more effective governance at the grassroots-level gives communities stature, and can lead to effective policy changes on a national scale.

—Develop and enact better policies and regulations. As water scarcity complicates food security and pollution, governments need to redefine their role. The U.S. government is considering expanding the Clean Water Act to ensure more protections. In Russia, meanwhile, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has approved waste discharges in Lake Baikal, one of the world’s largest bodies of freshwater. Regardless of what path elected leaders take–the Circle of Blue/GlobeScan WaterViews survey indicates they are considering multiple approaches–the survey also found that most people say it is up to the government to ensure communities have access to clean water.

—Holistically manage ecosystems. Simply put, holistic management applies to a practical, common-sense approach to overseeing natural resources that takes into account economic, cultural, and ecological goals. In essence, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and each facet is related to and influences the others. Good examples of holistic management are communities that operate sewage treatment plants while pursuing partnerships with clean energy producers to use wastewater to fertilize algae and other biofuel crops. The crops, in turn, soak up nutrients and purify wastewater, significantly reducing pumping and treatment costs.

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—Improve distribution infrastructure. Poor infrastructure is devastating to health and the economy. It wastes resources, adds costs, diminishes the quality of life, and allows preventable water-borne diseases to spread among vulnerable populations, especially children. The problem is not confined to the developing world. Pipes burst on a regular basis in the U.S., prompting boil alerts. Sewage treatment systems regularly overflow and malfunction, causing beach closures.

—Shrink corporate water footprints. Industrial water use accounts for approximately 22 percent of global consumption. The corporate footprint includes water that is directly and indirectly consumed when goods are produced. As sustainable manufacturing becomes more important, given the increasing severity of water scarcity, Peter Gleick and other experts question the costs of one industry sector in particular: bottled water.

—Build international frameworks and institutional cooperation. Binding international accords for natural resource issues are hard to achieve. The 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen is evidence of that point. And that’s not just because the freshwater crisis, arguably the most visible and dire of the climate change risks, was ignored. Regional agreements regarding transboundary or shared water bodies such as the Great Lakes Compact in the U.S., and Nile River basin agreement in Africa are just as difficult to ratify. But policymakers and advocates need to keep trying. Humanitarian-oriented treaties, such as the U.N.’s drinking water Millennium Development Goals, indicate that comprehensive global strategies are possible.

—Address pollution. Measuring and monitoring water quality is essential to human health and biodiversity. This monumental issue rears its head in many forms and can be addressed in just as many ways, whether it’s David de Rothschild’s eco-adventure in a plastic ship or Joe Berlinger’s documentary on oil contaminating the Ecuadorian Amazon. While securing the quality of drinking water and at the local level, it’s essential to build international bridges to solutions.

—Public common resources / equitable access. One of the key United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is ensuring access to drinking water. While the steps to achieve this goal are debated, the thesis that water is a basic right comes into play. As countries such as Chile attempt to reform water rights, U.S. politicians are considering how access rights translate into federal protection of Lake Michigan, one of the world’s largest reserves of freshwater.

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—R&D / Innovation. Access to water in a water-scarce world will become a much higher priority in business decisions. Communities are likely to pursue public-private partnerships that draw on the innovative capacities of companies. One example— cities that operate sewage treatment plants are likely to pursue partnerships with clean energy producers to fertilize algae and other biofuel crops with wastewater.

— Water projects in developing countries / transfer of technology. Climate change and water scarcity are producing the most dramatic consequences in developing regions, such as northwest India and Sub-Saharan Africa. One proposed solution is to transfer water conservation technologies to these dry areas. Doing so is tricky because economies are weak and there are gaps in skills that often compel government and business authorities to impose these changes on local citizens.

—Climate change mitigation. Climate change and water scarcity go hand-in-hand to cause some of the biggest contemporary challenges to the human race. These issues have a reciprocal relationship, identified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in which, “water management policies and measures can have an influence on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.” As renewable energy options are pursued, the water consumption of these mitigation tactics must be considered in producing alternatives ranging from bio-energy crops to hydropower and solar power plants.

—Population growth control. Because of the accelerating growth in global population, parts of the world could see a supply-demand gap of up to 65 percent in water resources by 2030. Currently, more than one billion people don’t have access to clean water. And with 70 percent of the world’s freshwater used for agriculture, water’s critical role in food production must be considered as climate and resource conditions change.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)