“Basurahan lang ang tinatapunan ng basura.”
This was how Akbayan Chair Emeritus Etta Rosales on Tuesday described the appointment of former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II as Commissioner of the National Police Commission (Napolcom).
Rosales said that Aguirre’s appointment to the Napolcom is “a clear signal that the culture of killings, corruption and impunity in the police force will continue.”
“This is a garbage appointment. It stinks to high heavens. Mr. Duterte’s appointment of a person with a garbage track record to the Napolcom is not only a clear nod to dirty cops, it also turns the PNP institution into a complete political dumpster,” Rosales said.
Rosales said that Aguirre’s appointment to the Napolcom runs contrary to the need for deep reforms in the Phippine National Police (PNP) institution.
“Lest we forget, this is the same guy who dismissed the charges against self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa and Peter Lim, was linked to the ‘Pastillas’ scheme, was caught red-handed in plotting to legally harass a sitting Senator and used his prior position to spread fake news against the political opposition,” Rosales stressed.
“What the PNP needs are deep-cutting reforms such as the institutional cleansing of all corrupt elements, stricter requirements at the recruitment level such as a rule of law and rights-based mindset, better police benefits and infrastructure modernization. We can’t do that by appointing a person who has contributed largely to the filth, muck and garbage in government to clean a badly-tarnished institution. Aguirre’s appointment is in direct opposition to the public’s clamor to reform the values, culture, policies and practices of our police force,” Rosales ended.
