Ramos vows to take on crime and coruption
Ramos vows to take on crime and coruption
By Maria Teresa Villanueva-Cerojano
MANILA (Kyodo): President Fidel Ramos has ordered a major shakeup of generals and colonels of the Philippine National Police in a bid to crack down on crime and corruption in the police force that has jeopardized the Philippines' attractiveness to foreign investment.
The move appears to give substance to Ramos' vow to clean up law enforcement institutions and arrest a wave of daring ambushes, bank robberies, multiple murders and kidnappings that have threatened his administration's efforts to promote the Philippines in the region.
The order to demote or transfer 18 top police officers comes amid calls from domestic and foreign businessmen for the government to put a halt to the unabated, high-profile crimes, some of which are believed to involve police and military officers.
The changes are also taking place amid an investigation into ranking officers' alleged coddling of gambling lords operating an illegal lottery game called "jueteng" and alleged police involvement in the rub-out of members of the infamous "Kuratong Baleleng" bank robbery gang. The probes have produced little result, but have tainted the administration's credibility in combating crime.
In his year-end report, even Ramos noted that the brazen incidents "pose a serious threat to the well-being of our people and the stability of our nation" and "the involvement of police and military personnel, retired or in active service, contributed to the perception that the very vanguards of public safety are themselves part of the problem," Ramos said.
In his New Year's report to the nation, he vowed to aggressively stamp out crime and threats of terrorism as well as institute reforms in the police and armed forces.
National Security Adviser Jose Almonte, briefing diplomats on the national security situation, said institutionalizing the rule of law will be the priority of the Ramos government for the next two years.
The statements offer some assurance for the many who are worried over the apparent breakdown of law and order.
Business leaders, including officers of the American and Filipino-Chinese chambers of commerce and industry in the Philippines, have expressed concern about the country's perceived rise in crime.
Japanese Ambassador Yoshifumi Matsuda says Japanese businessmen and residents' associations in the Philippines are very concerned about the crimes reported in the media, and are waiting for results from government efforts.
"I urge -- request -- the government of the Philippines to look after cases and have a better, more stable and safer atmosphere for foreigners," Matsuda told Kyodo News.
Respected columnist Amando Doronila says the wave of crimes has put the Philippines back on probation as an investment destination after Ramos' three years of promotion succeeded in projecting the country as a potential new Asian dragon economy.
"The restoration of business confidence in the capacity of the government to crack down on criminal gangs is the toughest test facing the government at the start of the new year," Doronila said in his column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Business leader Jose Concepcion forecasts that unless the government is able to arrest the upsurge in crime by the first quarter of the year, businessmen will likely postpone investments to wait until they see the kind of results they want. Concepcion is co-chairman of the Roman Catholic-backed Bishops-Businessmen's Conference and his family owns the giant Concepcion Industries.
Trade Secretary Rizalino Navarro admits that the wave of crimes has caused concern among investors. But he says that as long as the government produces results, investors will continue to pour in their money, factoring the safety element into their equation.
He also notes that despite the crimes, 1995 year-end figures show that investments exceeded government targets, and "that tells you and everybody else that the Philippines is still a good investment destination."
Police authorities also point out that total crime volume has been declining at an average rate of 13.4 percent a year since 1990.
From 1994 to 1995, crime decreased from 93,300 incidents to 66,078 and the monthly average crime rate per 100,000 inhabitants dropped from 11.63 percent in 1994 to 9.63 percent in 1995, according to a crime assessment report released by the Philippine National Police.
But pictures of the body of industrialist Leonardo Ty, the former head of the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, lying on his bullet-riddled car have sent shock waves within the business community. Similar attacks were made on two other Filipino- Chinese businessmen.
Aside from these incidents, the string of arrests on suspected Arab terrorists has also given a picture of the Philippines as a haven for international terrorists.
But Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon stresses that the impression that crime is on the rise in the country is wrong.
"Look at the statistics, there is a drop in criminality," Siazon told Kyodo. "It's just that some of the people who were victims are prominent and so the perception is there is a rise because they were given more press coverage."