Bacolod cops give out Kalabasa awards to 'motivate' reforms

In a bid to shame its units into doing better jobs, police in Bacolod City in Negros Occidental started giving out "Kalabasa (squash)" awards – awards of dubious distinction – to its own units. But the mock awards – first recipient of which was a police station where several incidents of rape-slay and rape attempts were recorded – may prove to be too embarrassing even for the city's councilors, one of whom wants it stopped. City Councilor Em Ang, who chairs the city council's Women and Gender committee, said police should instead give added incentives to stations that do well. Humiliation will not drive policemen to work well, and might discourage them, the Visayan Daily Star reported Thursday. On Monday, Bacolod City police office chief Senior Superintendent Ricardo de la Paz gave the city police's first "Kalabasa" award to Senior Inspector Leilani Garcia, head of the station at a time when several rape-slay and rape attempts were recorded. Of concern too are reported cases of child prostitution in the vicinity of Bacolod’s Police Station 1. Garcia was relieved from her post last week because of these incidents of crimes against women and crimes against children that happened in her area. Replacing her was Chief Inspector Adonis Rosales. The Visayan Daily Star report said some of the city's policemen said this early they are not in favor of the “Kalabasa Award" as it is humiliating. Ang urged de la Paz to review the rationale of the mock award before again giving it to police stations with poor performance in the next quarter. For his part, De la Paz said he will study Ang's proposal, but emphasized that `the award is not meant to humiliate anyone but is a scheme designed for police officers to redouble their efforts.—AY/JV, GMA News