Tuesday, April 15, 2008
ONE COOL COP
And I say he is one because of the time he took to interact playfully with the street kids in front of Quiapo Church.
An admirable initiative on his part, indeed, since most children are wary of policemen, or as referred to here as Mamang Pulis. It's not because of the shady images that are sometimes associated with the local cops; rather, most parents enforce good behavior on their incorrigible kids with a threat that they'd be reported to a policeman should they continue to disobey their orders. Thus, some kids grow up fearful or even spiteful of these men in uniform
Police Officer Arellano was the officer in-charged at last Saturday's Bayan-UNO joint rally held at Plaza Miranda in Quiapo, Manila. Just before the protesters arrived, he amused the kids with his mastery with a turompo (top). I gawked along with these kids as Officer Arellano did a number of impressive tricks with it.
The best was when he'd pick up the spinning turompo from the ground with the twine, hurl it up in the air, and then catch it with his open palm. With a slight downward tilt of his palm, he'd make the spinning turompo travel down to one of his fingertips. And as it continued its ferocious spin, he would pass it unto the waiting fingertip or palm of an enthusiastic boy.
This he did until each kid got a chance to experience the ticklish sensation of the spinning turompo.
Immediately afterwards, Officer Arellano resumed his duties of the day by reminding all street vendors to stay away from the main part of the plaza as it was reserved for the exclusive use of the incoming protesters who were granted a permit by the city administration office.
He then walked over to Quezon Boulevard to oversee the traffic as the rally marchers approached the plaza.
It should be noted that such political rallies, though a great inconvenience to many motorists, are usually conducted peacefully; hence, Officer Arellano -- the only police presence on that particular day at Plaza Miranda -- managed his duties rather uneventfully.
Part 1 of the series
Part 3 of the series
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posted by Señor Enrique at 8:31 AM
14 Comments:
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said... "...reminding all street vendors to stay away from the main part of the plaza as it was reserved for the exclusive use of the incoming protesters who were granted a permit by the city administration office."
Ah, democracy is indeed alive in this country of ours!
This is a very amusing and lifting entry, Eric. Officer Arellano is some cop. Did you also wait for your turn to have the trumpo on your fingertip? LOL!
We have the dancing traffic cop, the playing cop and here in Region I, there are some policemen (those with degree in Education) who volunteer as teachers during their off duty hours in areas where there's a shortage of teaching staff.
It's about time the 'shady' image of our policemen is shed off. It's not good to generalize. Not all of them are "kotong" cops. I believe there are many of them out there who are clean, honest and truly dedicated to their work.-
Señor Enrique said... Critics may claim these ongoing protest rallies in Manila have been useless and futile, but as you've said, Rhoda, we ought to rejoice. Because more than anything, these events demonstrate the fact that democracy is healthy and thriving well in our country. A blessing we ought never overlook.
You're also right that we should not proliferate the negative images we tend to harbor of our Mamang Pulis. And that we should also recognize the good and dedicated officers in the force.
Glad you enjoy this post, Rhoda. Thanks!-
nutart said...
I find this a great post, Eric, because of its human interest angle. Officer Arellano is not just professional but taong-tao. The way it is depicted in the days when as a song goes "...it was so simple then." Don't ask me what song that was :-). The Mamang Pulis campaign need not come about with the likes of Offcer Arellano kasi anduon na e! Character goes beyond publicity slogans. Glad the likes of him are still around---respecting everyone for who they are and what they believe in---and keeping order like the sun and rain. Walang kinakampihan.
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Sidney said...
That is a cool cop !
As you point out cops are just humans like us... and as such there are good and bad cops and... the ones in the middle ;-)-
said...
A cool cop indeed. I can see that He is not just acting it out for publicity or a photo opp. You can see the sincerity in his face.
Hope to see more cops and public officers like this cop.-
Señor Enrique said...
Thanks, Bernadette!
I have an uncle who was a law enforcement officer -- an NBI agent, in fact. He was such a humble and unassuming man. There was nothing about him that suggested being a law enforcer. One of his sons grew up to be a PNP official, while another a PBA player.
This Mamang Pulis really enjoyed giving these indigent kids a good time :)-
Señor Enrique said...
Indeed he is, Sidney :)
They say that there's a fine line between good and evil ... and this may be the reason why some good guys are eventually tempted to cross over to the dark side.-
Señor Enrique said...
It would really be interesting to know more cops like him and feature them, Traveler. It'd make an ideal public relations campaign.
You're right! He was more into giving the kids a good time than putting on a show for my camera ... hehehe.-
Unknown said...
This post pulled at my heart-string, Eric. My father was a cop…in a time when police officers were good and respected. It looks like your cool cop comes from that era. Mamang Pulis campaign is a great idea---it would give the public a chance to reacquaint themselves with the human side of our law enforcers. Hats off to you and Officer Arellano!
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Señor Enrique said...
I think we should all keep talking about the good cops in the force, Luna. This way, everyone would be reminded of their existence, as well as inspire many other officers to remain being true to their oath.
Congratulations for having a puls father, Luna. When my nephew wanted to switch from the Air Force to the PNP, she begged him not to because of the occupational hazards involved in being a policeman.-
Panaderos said...
Great entry, Eric! I like this post for I used to know a lot of cops who were just like Officer Arellano. They do their job in the best and most decent way they can. It's too bad that the misfits among their ranks are the ones who are always in the headlines. Newspapers or blogs should also regularly feature government employees such as policemen, soldiers, and regular government employees, etc. who provide excellent and honest public service.
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reyd said...
We need more of the likes of Police Officer Arellano. We seldom see this kind of attitude coming from someone whose image was tainted by corruptions and other crimes.
Not everyone in the force are bad, I had lots of encounters with some nice young PNP members. Like when I was outside Mega Mall with my family, naka shorts and sandals lang ako and I asked for some directions on a certain street behind the mall to go to a restaurant where we have to wait for my cousins. He told me : “Sir, tawid lang kayo sa kanto na yun tapos, kaliwa lang kayo at ilang building lang, nandun na yung restaurant.”. That word “SIR” to me was like a relief and totally erase the bad image of all his fellow policemen. Na pa sagot tuloy ako ng : “Thank You Po, Bossing!”, I know wala sa ayos yung sagot ko, pero natawa na lang siya.-
Señor Enrique said...
Whenever I had to ask for their help in giving me directions, I refer to the young ones as "brod" (brother), while the older ones, regardless of rank, I call "chief." But in more formal occasions, I would refer to each one as "officer," which them all seem to appreciate :)
Recently in the news, Reyd, the PNP dismissed four police officers from Quezon City and eleven from Manila. They were mostly discovered to have been involved in "kutong" cases ... hehehe.
Yes, we need to praise the fine members of our law enforcement, as well as those in the military. I know marami sila :)-
Señor Enrique said...
"Newspapers or blogs should also regularly feature government employees such as policemen, soldiers, and regular government employees, etc. who provide excellent and honest public service."
I like this idea very much, Panaderos.
Thank you very much!
