PNP surveillance of teachers / Voting in May

 BEHIND THE SCENES

Alfred P. Dizon

The supposed Philippine National Police memorandum ordering profiling and surveillance of the members of a purported left-leaning teachers’ group has sent shivers up the spine of members of the latter.

Following backlash from the Association of Concerned Teachers (ACT), media and concerned sectors of society, PNP Director General Oscar Albayalde washed his hands off the matter by ordering the relief of three intelligence officers over the leak of the memorandum which ordered profiling and surveillance of ACT members.

               Sacked were the intelligence chiefs of the Manila Police District Station 3, Quezon City City Police District Station 6 and provincial intelligence branch of the Zambales police.

Albayalde said the leakage of the memo has caused fear among members of the ACT who feel they are being intimidated by the police.

He said the intelligence officers, by the nature of their job, should have done their work discreetly. “Anyone, when they realize they’re being profiled by the police, there is that feeling always,” the PNP chief told Manila media.

Albayalde said he did not sign any document ordering intelligence officers to conduct an inventory of ACT members.

But he did not deny that the order came from a PNP unit.

                “The different directorates of the PNP can always issue memorandum, especially if it falls under their jurisdiction,” he said.

Albayalde assured ACT members there is no cause for alarm if they have not committed any wrongdoing.

He said the surveillance order may have stemmed from the declaration of communist leader Jose Ma. Sison that ACT is one of their front organizations.

ACT members should not be afraid of police surveillance if they are not doing anything unlawful, Malacañang said.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said it is not the policy of the government to conduct surveillance on teachers.

“It’s the job of the PNP to monitor all groups. If you’re not doing anything wrong, why should you be afraid?” Panelo said.

“The President loves the teachers. But if you’re doing something illegal or irregular, it’s natural for the police to monitor what you are doing,” he added.  

               Panelo said President Duterte has vowed to promote the welfare of teachers and to increase their salaries. 

The teachers’ union accused the PNP of deploying police personnel to schools to gather information about its members. 

The group claimed that the PNP had issued two memoranda ordering an inventory of teachers affiliated with ACT. 

                ***

Ii is back to reality after the long holiday season. For the politicians and stakeholders, now that 2019 has officially begun, they are now focusing on the upcoming mid-term elections.

There are many government positions up for grabs and  would-be politicians have started fighting tooth and nail to get or retain their power and some have even resorted to murder for this, basing from  media reports.

Government jobs in the Philippines have come to symbolize wealth and power instead of what they really should represent – a way to help the people.

If it was just a matter of serving our countrymen, people would not go to the extent of killing their opponents to get a position. This makes you question why they want to be in the government in the first place. We all know the answer to that -- money and power. As a tired saying goes -- absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Once again, concerned sectors are saying people should do their part and vote and campaign for candidates who are going to be good for the country and for the people. They are saying people should need to stop going by name recall only and start looking into a candidate’s plans, platforms, and promises.

They are urging people of this Banana Republic to look past campaign promises and look into politicians’ track records. Most candidates have all held government positions before and many of the leading ones are trying to hold on to their current positions.

As our friendly, perennially drunk neighborhood philosopher says, people should see what these politicians have actually accomplished while in office – bills they have authored, changes they have helped make if they really did their job.

Most of the information is available online these days. A Google search already yields more information than we have had in the past and could be instrumental when deciding whom to vote for in the election ahead.

Currently, all of the names that are in the winner’s circle in the recently concluded SWS survey are “names we know.” These are candidates who are currently in power or who hope to return to power.

               People say, some of them maybe indeed exceptional public servants but how will things ever truly change in this blighted country if we always vote for the same people? We elect them every election and hope that somehow miraculously things will be different. After the elections, it is back to the same scenario.

As our neighbourhood philosopher says, somehow, if unknown but competent and upright persons will run for public office and win, maybe there is still hope for this Banana Republic.

Meanwhile, he adds with a wink of an eye, we just may have to eat expletives for breakfast, noon and dinner when watching TV.