FIRING LINE: PNP rants over foreigner wearing police uniform to Xmas party

By Robert B. Roque Jr.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) is up in arms — not against criminals or syndicates — but against a Christmas party attendee wearing a police uniform. A foreigner, no less, who dared don the blue garb in what appears to be a harmless, festive jest.

So, the PNP cites Article 179 of the Revised Penal Code, wagging the threat of a six-month jail sentence — to which one might ask: Why so stiff about it, Brigadier General Jean Fajardo?

We get it: the law prohibits the unauthorized use of official uniforms. But the spirit behind that tenet in the law addresses misrepresentation and misuse that bastardizes or stains the uniform of a state officer.

Question: Was this instance a bastardization of the uniform?

First of all, if this foreigner wore it as a costume to a party, at worst, it could have been a tongue-in-cheek nod to the country’s force.

Now, imagine, for instance, if this foreigner were a member of the diplomatic corps — wouldn’t it be easy to think that this member of a foreign mission was paying a lighthearted tribute to the Filipino nation?

If this were a high-ranking embassy official, that act should be flattering for surely it would elevate the perception of the PNP uniform.

But what ticks me more about the PNP being antsy is – what’s the PNP’s media tantrum all about? I mean no disrespect to our national police, but let’s not pretend it enjoys spotless prestige, given that many “scalawags in uniform” are the very first ones tarnishing its image.

The irony thickens when we consider how freely the uniform appears in movies, TV dramas, or — more controversially — in crime stories involving actual PNP officers. For many years as a news reporter, editor, and columnist, this corner has tackled countless cases of police linked to extortion, illegal drugs, and even murder.

Yet here we are with the PNP spokesperson making a spectacle over a Christmas costume.

More baffling is the subtext. If whispers are true and this costume party offender is indeed a high-ranking diplomat from a very close ally of the Philippines, the PNP’s reaction borders on tone-deafness.

Let’s say, for example, this staunch ally is one like Japan — a defense and economic partner whose aid bolsters the nation’s maritime capacity — what value is there in the PNP stirring unnecessary controversy at the risk of alienating foreign goodwill?

Rather than pursuing media frenzies over minor infractions, perhaps the PNP could focus on cleaning its ranks. For now, the real crime here is making such a fuss over something so trivial.

At least someone found the uniform worthy of wearing. If it were most of the people I know and you task them to wear the PNP uniform to a party, they’d likely say “Yuck!”

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