Speech
of
His Excellency Benigno S. Aquino III
President of the Philippines
At the Philippine National Police change of command ceremony
[Translation of the speech delivered at Camp Crame, Quezon City on September 9, 2011]
His Excellency President Fidel Valdez Ramos; Excellencies of the Diplomatic Corps; Senator Panfilo Lacson; Police Director-General Raul Bacalzo; Police Deputy Director General Nicanor Bartolome; Members of the Cabinet present; namely, the Executive Secretary; Secretary Jesse Robredo; Secretary Voltaire Gazmin; Secretary Cesar Garcia; members of the House of Representatives, namely, Representatives Pablo John Garcia, Leopoldo Bataoil, Ben Evardone, Erineo Maliksi, Tomas Apacible, Mel Senen Sarmiento; Solicitor General Joel Cadiz; Civil Service Commission Chair Francisco Duque; AFP Chief of Staff General Eduardo Oban; Major Service Commanders; Lt. General Arturo Ortiz; Lt. General Oscar Rabena; Vice Admiral Alexander Pama; Bishop Leopoldo Tumulak; officers, uniformed men and women of the Philippine National Police; my fellow workers in government; honored guests; my beloved countrymen:
It has been almost a year since we appointed General Raul M. Bacalzo as head of the Philippine National Police (PNP). You may recall that he was appointed at a time when the burning issue of the day was still the Quirino Grandstand tragedy, and criticisms were coming in thick and fast concerning the state and capabilities of our police force. However, I never had any reservations about General Bacalzo’s ability to move the reforms that we wanted instituted in the PNP forward. We believed in his courage, his discipline, and his professionalism; we depended on his sincerity, his integrity, and his principles. Join me in expressing our gratitude to General Bacalzo, not only for his leadership in the PNP this past year, but also for the dedication and service he has rendered to our nation for over three decades.
Under his leadership, in the space of a single year, he has established the initiatives that for so long had remained a dream only to our policemen. He focused on building the skills and modernizing the equipment of our policemen, an act, which, in turn, raised the morale of the entire PNP. Many of our policemen underwent various training programs in Critical Incident Management, and Specialized Unit Inter-Operability Training to make them more effective respondents to police operations. Indeed, we saw the effects of these measures almost immediately: just last April, our policemen successfully carried out an operation to rescue the fifteen hostages taken by Kim-Kim Perez and his group in Agusan del Sur. Aside from this, on various occasions, the PNP successfully deterred attacks by the NPA on police stations, such as the incidents in Panabo City, Davao del Norte, in Lianga, Surigao del Sur, in Trento, Agusan del Sur; and in Mobo, Masbate.
Under General Bacalzo’s leadership, there was also a significant decrease in the incidence of carnapping in our country: from 1,010 incidents in January-March of 2010, to 460 recorded incidents in the first three months of this year. And these efforts weren’t limited to decreasing carnapping incidents: 75 percent of stolen cars were also returned to their rightful owners.
Many pages of police achievements under the leadership of General Bacalzo have been submitted to me; I hope you don’t mind if I decide not to enumerate all of these achievements in my speech. If we mention all of these one by one, it may take us until the Christmas season to finish. But allow me to emphasize one point: that there are some things that statistics alone will never be able to measure; that there are some achievements that can never be summarized in percentages, or compensated for by awards and medals. With General Bacalzo at the helm, the PNP exhibited daily newfound discipline, dedication to duty; and commitment to our flag. We are changing the image of an abusive and corrupt police force. The Filipino people are regaining their trust in your institution, which has for so long been trapped in a web of doubt and misgivings. And, little by little, we are eliminating the wang-wang culture that has plagued our national police. This is what I consider true success. And to General Bacalzo: I am certain that the legacy you have left in your year as head of the PNP will not be forgotten and will live on in the years to come.
Of course, the end of this chapter gives rise to a new chapter—one that we can all look forward to. General Bacalzo’s farewell opens a new period in the history of the PNP. Today we welcome the new chief of our police force—General Nicanor Bartolome; and we are hopeful that he can build on the foundations his predecessor has laid. To General Bartolome: I encourage you to consider your duties—apprehending kidnappers, carnappers, and others who wish to wreak disorder in our communities—as personal advocacies. I, along with the Filipino people, am confident in your capability to continue what General Bacalzo started: promoting professionalism, integrity, and bravery in our police force. Remember, the Filipino people are our bosses, and we must not fail them.
What we want to happen with our police and armed forces is clear: to the extent of our capabilities, we want to give them the quality equipment and the weaponry they need because we know that they require these things to effectively fulfill their duties as public servants. But behind the new boats we have acquired for our armed forces, like the BRP Gregorio del Pilar, behind the 4,000 houses we have distributed to our men in uniform, and behind the programs and benefits we have prepared for the PNP and AFP, lies the bigger picture. We are doing this so that each member of our police—whether you are a general about to retire; whether you are an inspector in a precinct laboring day by day on police reports; or a PO1 on your first day on the job with your badge still shiny—can feel a renewed pride and honor each time they don their blue uniforms and pin their badges on their chests.
We want to foster a system in our police force in which if you witness a colleague engaging in abusing his position, you won’t have to think twice before apprehending him, because you will not stand for anyone tarnishing the rich tradition of the PNP. We want a culture not just of refusing bribes, but also of putting handcuffs on those who attempt to give bribes, to reign supreme, because they are aware that the trust of the Filipino people cannot be measured in pesos and centavos.
Our wish is reflective of the peoples’ wish: to wake up each morning without having to fear for the one’s safety, to be able to live a peaceful life with one’s family because one believes that there are good policemen who will protect them at all times. As we, once again, learn to put faith in one another, as we keep the fire of nationalism alive within ourselves, and as we remain ready to hurdle all the obstacles along the straight path, I have no doubt that we can achieve our collective desires as one people.
Thank you and good day.
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