Verzosa tells PNP: Serve public despite ‘mistakes’

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Jesus Verzosa on Friday bade farewell to the country’s police force and advised its members to continue serving the public despite “mistakes" involving some of their colleagues. “I have always said, it must always be the institution above self. Whatever mistakes that (have) happened, kung meron tayong mga kasamahan na nakita natin na may pagkukulang, dapat hindi tayo mawalan ng initiative (if we see some colleagues with shortcomings, we must not lose initiative)," he said in a speech before members of the Special Action Force in Taguig on Friday. Verzosa likewise told the troops that the bloody outcome of the August 23 hostage tragedy in Manila, which many blamed on the botched handling by the Manila Police District, should not affect the performance of their duty to protect their fellow Filipinos. “They should not continuously grieve over what the incident has created because doing so will hamper our general purpose to serve the public," he said. Verzosa is set to retire on September 14, after 38 years in the armed services. A graduate of the Philippine Military Academy’s Class 1976, he rose from the ranks in the defunct Philippine Constabulary. The PC was later merged with the Integrated National Police, to become the precursor of the PNP. The PNP chief has drawn flak in the past weeks due to the bungled attempt to rescue the hostages during the August 23 crisis, which led to the death of eight Hong Kong tourists. (See: Massacre in nation's heart: Timeline of Manila bus siege) Verzosa however stood by his decision to let the ground commander, Manila Police District head Chief Superintendent Rodolfo Magtibay, deal with the hostage crisis. “We are there but the decision of the ground commander was the one to be followed…We have to respect him," he said in the same speech. He likewise urged the PNP to use the incident as a way of evaluating not only the “lapses" that were committed, but also the points for improvement and development. Verzosa also lauded President Benigno Aquino III’s plan to develop the capacities of police forces to be better equipped in crisis situations. “This is an opportunity now to form these critical units to enhance our capabilities and also to have a continuing training that is necessary for us to cope with future incidents like what happened on August 23," he said. He likewise advised his subordinates to brace themselves for “turbulent" careers and continue serving the public. “This is our career. This is our destiny in the service. We do not control what will be our future assignments, but the important thing to do is for us to perform, to train, to develop ourselves, to develop our units," he said.—Andreo C. Calonzo/JV, GMANews.TV