No to Davao trip; Iloilo cops should mind own business

By Alex P. Vidal

“Each day, millions of police officers do the selfless work of putting their lives on the line to protect civilians, frequently responding to or preventing crises completely with no recognition.”—Letitia James

WE don’t agree with the decision of the Police Regional Office (PRO-6) to send 100 cops—50 from the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) and 50 from the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO)—to Davao City to augment the police forces there now encircling the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) compound and locating “most wanted” person Apollo Quiboloy.

Elements of the Police Regional Office (PRO-11) in Davao City led by regional director, Brigadier General Nicolas Torre III, have descended upon the KOJC compound to serve the warrant for the arrest of 74-year-old Quiboloy and other accused for human trafficking, child abuse, and sexual abuse of women.

Unless it is a matter of imminent danger to security of the state, IPPO and ICPO policemen should not leave their barracks as they have their own areas of responsibility to secure like other Philippine National Police (PNP) members deployed in other regions all over the archipelago.

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Iloilo cops should mind their own business. Davao cops should show their mettle and finish what they have started. They should wrap up their assignments without intercession from other units across the oceans.

They are hot after the heels of a nervous and cowardly fugitive, and it seems it’s now only a matter of time before they will corner the Lilliputian.

They aren’t up against heavily armed bandits and suicidal maniacs. Davao cops don’t need a big delegation of reinforcements from other regions. All they need is rest and report back to where the “action” is—if necessary.

We are against the deployment to Davao because what if—God forbid—during the Iloilo-based cops’ transit or “temporary” stay in Davao City, a major peace and order crisis suddenly occurs in the city and province of Iloilo that necessitated the presence of more policemen to augment the local forces?

Unless the PRO-11 cops have been clobbered and wiped out by criminal elements or terrorists and there’s a need to deploy more lawmen in war-torn zones, IPPO and ICPO cops, as well as other cops in other regions, should not leave the civilian populace that they secure.

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The necessity of sending augmentation forces to other regions has many considerations. And hunting down a suspected criminal and his cohorts reportedly hiding in a bunker should not be one of them.

Taxpayers can’t afford to waste additional money for the trip from Iloilo to Davao of the 100 policemen who will have to travel by air and get special allowances for the “extra” job.

As per directives by the PRO-6 led by regional director, Brigadier General Jack Wanky, IPPO and ICPO uniformed personnel will reportedly leave their posts temporarily to “support” or back up their comrades in Davao City who may have been exhausted after several days of helping secure the KOJC compound where the religious cult leader and his co-accused in criminal cases were believed to be hiding since August 24.

Stay in Iloilo. Ilonggos need the Iloilo cops more than the ongoing operations in Davao against Quiboloy, et al.

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