Indang Police Station was infamously featured in XXX, this article tackles about the truth behind it.
Last Saturday, April 26, 2008 Indang was once again infamously featured on TV. For the sake of those who were not able to watch it, here is a short summary of one of the show’s segment. The segment basically showcased spy camera footages that were taken across the street of the Police Headquarters with the following situations:
1. Indang Police Station ‘s accordion gate being closed
2. Lights in the Police Station were shut off.
3. The show captured a cat fight on the street and said that there weren’t any police to pacify it.
4. A Police took of his shirt and slept in the Police Station
At the latter part of the segment Indang’s Chief of Police; Police Senior Inspector Jonathan Canonigo Genetiano was given the opportunity to air out his explanation regarding the situations above. He said that the accordion gate (accordion is the term they use for the steel gate) is their first line of defense against terrorists. And the show followed up his statement with: “Ang galing ng palusot!” Well, no one in Indang would think that our Hepe’s explanation was a “palusot” I personally think that it is a reasonable answer because people from Upland Cavite are used to Police having all the necessary precautions because of local terrorists. I even remember a few years ago, Indang Police Station was even surrounded by sand bags (to serve as shield), nets (to bounce off bombs or any material possible to be thrown at the police station), and even barbwire barricades as their first line of defense in case of any attacks.
I came across with a group of people criticizing the answers of the Indang’s Cheif of Police regarding their safety precautions. They said that his answer was lame. (Kasi sabi daw nung host “Palusot”) I ended up engaging in a constructive debate with them as I can attest that even way way way long ago our Indang Police Station have always been prepared for terroristas. Talagang lagi silang handa. As a matter of fact, in CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon), Cavite is the only province with Police Stations that til this day remained unharrassed by local terrorists. Why? Because our Policemen take necessary safety precautions.
I went to the Police Station in Indang with my Ninong Amor and Tita Zon to have a short discussion with the thirty-seven year old Senior Inspector. He oriented us that they (Indang and most Upland Cavite cities and towns) are faced with two types of predicaments, Crime and Insurgency. Genetanio, a 1998 Philippine National Police Academy graduate was accommodating enough to share the story behind each scene that was aired on ABS-CBN’s XXX last Saturday.
(Left-Right)PO1 Feliciano Garcia, PO1 Aaron Abesamis, OIC PSI Jonathan Genetiano, PO1 Ronnie Amparo, PO2 Noel Lotayo
Why did they close the Accordion Gate? In my understanding. The Accordion Gate was required by the PNP in Police Headquarters for a main purpose. It was meant for the protection of the Police Station, it would delay any possible local terrorist attacks. It makes sense because imagine if our Police gets assaulted, it would take an amount of time for back up. Genetanio who was assigned in Indang four months ago, said that he will never compensate the safety of his men. W
hy were the lights shut off? – This is another client safety precaution. In any rule of engagement, the one hidden in the dark always have the advantage because he cannot be seen. It is not because the Indang Police does not want to be seen. Their offices actually had lights turned on at the rear of the building, what the show aired was just one part of the station that had no lights. The staff of the TV show was at a store across the street. They should have gone inside the Police work areas to see Genetanio’s men at work.
There weren’t any police that responded in the fight? There was one part in the segment that showed two men fighting. There is a story behind this. Both of them were bus drivers of Blessed Grace liner. They were arguing about their shifts (Nag aaway sila kung kanino ang first trip ng bus.) that resulted to a petty quarrel. The host of the show mentioned that there weren’t any Police to pacify the fight. The truth is the fight lasted only a minute and no one got hurt. No one even complained about the fight. It was just sensationalized to make our esteemed Policemen look bad.
Why did the Policeman take off his shirt and slept? The person who was caught on camera taking off his shirt was a RADIO OPERATOR. To define his duty, he is the one responsible for any radio reports from different Barangays. If he gets any report, he immediately informs the Police on duty and they will respond. The position is filled by shifts. The radio operator just finished his 24 hour duty and he must have been exhausted from monitoring all day, all night.
Fr. James Reuter, a prominent Jesuit media practicioner once said, “Television is the most powerful thing ever unleashed on earth.” Television somehow represented an image on our Indang Police. It definitely affected the minds of the people who have watched that particular segment, and it can affect the attitude of the police as well. One of the policemen in Indang told me, “Nahihiya na nga ako lumabas, iba na tingin ng tao sa amin.” The cause and effect was similar to my thesis entitled The Image of Muslims portrayed on television. It tackles the effects of one-sided journalism. Sensationalism includes editing statements to come up with a new controversial report depicting a misleading message. It is the duty of Media people to make their reports truthful and balanced.
Bottom line is, if there would be anybody who knows the Indang Police well, it would the People of Indang. Not the judge-mental folks who derive their opinions based on the controversial segment. Not even XXX. Our Police are taking all possible methods to protect themselves, the station and the people. The crime rate in Indang is low, as the Police are always on patrol and visible, they also constantly conduct check points. Our Policemen are doing their duties and they do it well. Indang is a peaceful town and we all live in harmony.
This article was published by The Rising South Tribune April 28-May 4, 2008 issue.
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