PNPA grad hits hubris of PMA alumni

By MORTZ C.ORTIGOZA

 DAVAO CITY – A mid level officer of the police who is an alumnus of the Philippine National Police Academy assailed the elitist mentality of some members of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) after they recommended that the Philippine National Police should start accepting again graduates of the PMA.
The decorated official said the members of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Alumni Association and generals at Camp Crame failed to see how graduates of the PMA and PNPA, the lateral entry, and those officials who rose from the rank live in harmony at the PNP.
 “The entry of PMA graduate to the PNP to infuse a brand new kind leadership is a non-issue,” he said.
He lamented the proposal to accept the graduates of the Baguio City based academy is an elitist thinking. “These people from PMAAA thought they have the Torrens title or franchise at the the PNP,” the police official stressed.
 He said PMAyers were responsible in shrouding the bad image of the Philippine Constabulary (precursor of the present police force) and the PNP.
“They got Colonel (Dionesio) Borromeo (who was convicted and now incarcerated at the national penitentiary) who was involved in the P1 trillion shabu hoard in Naguillan, La Union. PMAyers like General (Carlos) Garcia, General (Angelo) Reyes, General Jacinto Ligot were sued with graft and corruption. He said there are those generals at the PNP who were involved in cheating for the election of then president Gloria M. Arroyo”.
 He said the PNPA was created and brought up by the PMAyers.
“It was introduced in 1978 for members of the PC/INP (Integrated National Police) who want to be officer. It used to accept college graduates who were eventually trained at Silang, Cavite for two years.
He explained that in 1980, PNPA started training cadets for four-year course just like their counterparts at the PMA.
 “The PNPA started accepting high school graduates. PNPA and PMA have the same tradition because of the PMA graduates who mentor them. We have the same cat calls and lingo. We call our classmate from the academy as “mistah”, too. When we were plebes we sneaked to get food we call as “take life”.
 He said a PNPA graduates has advantage over a PMAyer in terms of police work. He explained that a cadet at the PNPA learned the Revised Penal Codes, the Rules of Court, investigation, community relation while his counterpart at Fort del Pilar in Baguio City learned only the Revised Penal Codes. “The police are honed with community service. Before we go to a place we size up the community relation with the police fares in the area. We work with the community to maintain peace and order”. He said graduates of the PMA are mission oriented. “What they do is search and destroys. They f__k the community and not build it”.
 He said the perception of PMAyers is better than PNPAyers is a non-issue.
 “Ang competence ay nasa tao. Merong gagong graduate sa U.P (University of the Philippines), merong matino at magaling na graduate sa U.L (University of Luzon in Dagupan City)”.
 He said the PNPA alumni at the police, who composed the bulk of the officers’ corps of the police, opt to be silent on the raucous raised by PMAAA and Senior Superintendent Reuben Theodore Sindac.
 “Let them (PMAAA) self-destruct on the crap they mouthed,” he said.
 Recently, Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said it was impossible to accept graduates of the PMA to the PNP because they are barred by the Constitution to join the police force.
Article XVI, Section 6 of the 1987 Constitution states that, "The State shall establish and maintain one police force, which shall be national in scope and civilian in character."