Thus, the chief goes around paying courtesy calls on the governor, the mayors, the bishop, the monsignors, the ministers and pastors, the Rotary Clubs, and what have you. Not necessarily in that order though, the scheduling dictated by sheer availability of time rather than by some protocol.
In the course of these getting-to-know-you activities, the chief makes his first media conference too. If only to get a feel of the media, the more discerning easily finding the chaff from the grain among the newsmen, the real from the hawsiao. This is of prime consideration as the chief’s relationship with the local media often dictated the difference between heaven and hell for the chief in his new assignment.
It is SOP too for the new chief to immediately make his presence felt in his new turf, showing the stuff, if not the muscle, he wields by reorganizing his staff, too often kicking out some butts in order to create some vacancies for his “hand-carried package of staff officers.”
It is SOP too – many times the most basic, priority procedure – for the chief to make an immediate impact on the local gambling lords. If only to show who’s the new boss for them to deal with.
Thus, the traditional pagpapakilala (self-introduction) by ordering police raids on gambling dens, complete with the “arrest” of the usual suspects – the lowly cabos and kubradors where jueteng is concerned, the balasadors in monte joints, the kristos in the tupadas (illegal cockfights). And, for the perfunctory media photo opportunity, the axing or sledgehammering of video-karera machines by the chief himself to dramatize his commitment to stamp out the evil of illegal gambling.
Ha! Ha! Ha!
Experience in the past has shown that the pagpapakilala of the new chief made an instant, direct hit on the gambling lords. Not on their nerves though but on their pockets. No fear was instilled in them. Only, loathing for one more ATM to fill, a hungrier if not greedier one too. The new chief usually agog to amass in one year as much as his predecessor had in two. The constancy of inflation and the impermanence of his term, all too factored in.
So it was the customary SOP in the police. So it is now with the new honcho at the Police Regional Office 3?
We have seen the newscasts and the photo releases of him with the governor and the city mayor, dutifully accompanied by his provincial and city directors, respectively. We have read too that he has gone to the top religious leaders.
At Camp Olivas, a rigodon of sorts has been initiated.
One Senior Supt. Albano has been designated chief of the regional comptroller division vice one Senior Supt. Mabilin who in turn was named chief of the directorate staff to fill in the post left by one Senior Supt. Pacia who moved up to Camp Crame.
Our Olivas undercover operatives are telling us that changes are also expected at the intelligence and investigation, logistics and resource development, and the regional mobile group.
New PRO 3 director Chief Supt. Nilo de la Cruz is rigidly following the first two SOP we talked about. Clear as day.
We have no way of knowing though – for now at least – if he has engaged himself in the third SOP we wrote above.
Too bad our usual source in this regard has long yielded his lordship. We won’t hear him say anymore what he had been saying in his signature diphthong, “Ma-an-up ne, ma-ao ya pa. Mu-i na, ma-aul ya pa ahwa ke-ha a-hu. (He’s not only hungry, he’s downright greedy. He wants to get a share even bigger than mine.)
The chief said though that he would write finis to illegal gambling here. So, we just have to take his word for it. And watch him.
