When I first met him, I found the newly appointed Philippine National Police聽 chief, Ricardo Marquez, a humble man.
I met Marquez at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal two two years ago when I was on my way to Puerto Princesa City and he was headed to Cebu City.
It was a chance meeting. I was having a quick dinner before boarding the plane and he happened to be nearby eating his dinner, as well.
He introduced himself to me, and from our conversation I learned that he was a police chief superintendent (one-star general in the Army) and assigned in Camp Crame.
He was a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy .
Military and police generals are always accompanied by aides, but Marquez had none.
And then he had to hurry to his plane.
That brief conversation with Marquez left an impression that I was talking to a self-effacing high police official.
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From reports about his appointment to the top PNP post, I learned that Marquez is a bemedaled officer, a good follower and an excellent leader.
Many of his colleagues sang praises for Marquez.
But the best compliment came from his ex-boss, former Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who said Marquez was his intelligence officer when he was the then police commander in Laguna province in 1992.
鈥淚鈥檝e always known him to be a professional officer. He is competent and I am confident that he can handle the PNP very well,鈥� said Lacson, who was PNP chief during the time of President Erap.
Lacson rarely, if ever, gives聽 a compliment.
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Let鈥檚 hope Marquez has the same mindset as his erstwhile superiors in the PNP who don鈥檛 tolerate abusive behavior among the ranks: Leonardo Espina, PNP officer in charge, who is retiring today; Deputy Director General Mar Garbo, deputy chief for operations; and Director Carmelo Valmoria, director of the National Capital Region Police Office, who is also retiring this week.
Espina, Garbo and Valmoria have suspended or dismissed cops after my public service program, 鈥淚sumbong Mo kay Tulfo,鈥� complained against them on behalf of aggrieved civilians.
I hope and pray that the PNP under Marquez will continue to have a partnership with 鈥淚sumbong鈥� and other public service programs to rid the police ranks of abusive members.
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If Marquez doesn鈥檛 mind, here鈥檚 a buena mano (first) complaint against an allegedly abusive cop.
Richard Moon, a Korean resident, and his Filipino wife, Ethel, were having differences with their business partners over money for their manning company.
Their business partners, who are savvy about the country鈥檚 judicial system, charged the Moon couple with a criminal offense.
This, even though the Moons were the ones aggrieved and should have been the complainants, according to the couple.
Ethel鈥檚 relative, Senior Supt. Jerry Valeroso of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), allegedly volunteered to 鈥渇ix鈥� the case in the Manila Prosecutor鈥檚 Office for P700,000.
The case was filed in court despite Valeroso鈥檚 claim that he had already paid off the prosecutor handling the preliminary investigation.
Of course, the Moons wanted Valeroso to return the money.
But you know what Valeroso did?
He filed a complaint in the CIDG claiming that the couple gave him the money to kill their business partners.
Whoa, there!
If indeed the Moons ordered Valeroso to kill their business partners, why didn鈥檛 he arrest them on the spot?