THE AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH NEW POLICE CHIEF

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MANILA 003247 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL ASEC PHUM RP SUBJECT: THE AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH NEW POLICE CHIEF REF: A. MANILA 2680 ¶B. MANILA 2697 ¶1. Summary. New Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Calderon assured the Ambassador on July 28 that the PNP is focusing the necessary resources to investigate and bring to justice those responsible for the recent killings of leftist activists. The PNP has embarked on a ten-year transformation program, while also undertaking a comprehensive effort to curb corruption within its ranks. The Ambassador turned over computer forensic equipment provided by the Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program to the PNP's Criminal Investigative and Detection Group. End Summary. -------------- Solving extrajudicial killings -------------- ¶2. On July 28, the Ambassador, accompanied by DCM and members of the Embassy's Law Enforcement Working Group (LEWG) paid a courtesy call on the new Director General of the Philippine National Police (PNP),General Oscar "Oca" Calderon. (Ref A reported on the Ambassador's meeting with outgoing PNP chief Lomibao.) General Calderon raised the killings of leftist activists, assuring the Ambassador that the PNP was actively investigating and describing the PNP's new Task Force Usig ("to prosecute"). The Task Force was set up to coordinate efforts to bring to justice culprits of extrajudicial killings as well as to safeguard threatened journalists, party-list representatives, and other activists. (Ref B reported on TF Usig's findings and actions; Pol/C will meet on August 8 with the TF commander for an update, especially given additional recent killings.) ¶3. General Calderon reiterated that it was strictly against Philippine government policy to suppress political dissent or fundamental Constitutional freedoms, to use torture, or to murder critical journalists, leftists, or members of the political opposition. He emphasized that the GRP would hold accountable those who through "excessive zeal and misreading or ignorance of applicable law" had engaged in such activities, no matter who or how highly-placed they might be. -------------- Fighting corruption -------------- ¶4. General Calderon described how the PNP's anti-corruption campaign, in conjunction with the PNP's ongoing Integrated Transformation Program (ITP),also operates in coordination with anti-corruption efforts of other GRP agencies, notably the Ombudsman's Integrity Development Review program and the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission's Integrity Development Action Plan. He cited the deployment of "Honesty Teams," which are special teams of police detectives targeting abusive and corrupt policemen. He explained how the PNP's anti-corruption plan includes a series of prevention, education, deterrence, and partnership action plans. As part of its anti-corruption drive, the PNP has instituted two new anti-corruption projects -- "Kotong Text 2920," which encourages the public to report corruption of government employees through text messages, and a "PNP Procurement Monitoring Information System" (PPMIS),which provides a centralized database for all PNP procurement transactions. ¶5. General Calderon outlined the most common corrupt practices, based on PNP investigations and analysis: -- personnel, e.g., recruitment, placement, promotion, retirement, awards and decorations, discipline, and health services; -- intelligence, e.g., abuse of intelligence funds, selling classified information, fabrication of information for extortion, protection rackets, recycling of evidence, abuse of authority, irregularity in the service of warrants, and "red tape;" -- operations, e.g., abuse of authority for personal gain and bribery, extortion, and theft during the conduct of police operations; -- logistics, e.g., irregularities in procurement, supply, and disposal of equipment; and, -- comptrollership, such as the misuse of government funds, malversation, and other corrupt practices. -------------- ATA equipment -------------- ¶6. The Ambassador turned over $190,000 in Anti-Terrorism Assistance-funded computer forensic equipment to the PNP's Criminal Investigative and Detective Group. In her speech, the Ambassador congratulated General Calderon on his promotion, stated that "our countries have a tireless MANILA 00003247 002 OF 002 partnership to improve the lives of Filipinos," and noted that the new equipment would help the PNP catch criminals and make the streets of the Philippines safer. (In a separate ceremony on July 14, then-A/DCM made a presentation of about $95,000 worth of similar equipment to the Acting Director of the National Bureau of Investigation.) Kenney