Putting Our House in Order

In last week’s column I expressed concern about the international image of the Philippines, of how Filipinos are perceived abroad, and the impact that this has upon our tourist industry.

A number of recent incidents have reflected badly on the Philippines, and this has been compounded by the litigation currently ongoing on the island of Boracay where four Canadian nationals have filed a case against Ms. Dolly Khanna who is a Philippines national living in Boracay for the recovery of their one hundred million pesos investment, claiming that they have been defrauded of this sum.

The case has taken another turn due to a statement recently made by Ms. Khanna, and which has since been posted on the world wide web, suggesting that a foreign visitor to the island had claimed that he was able to purchase marijuana from a building next to the local police station.

Although her statement was based on hearsay, this affirmation has serious implications for the Boracay police. If true, then how could such a practice be going on under their very noses and without their knowledge? And why would anyone in their right mind sell illegal drugs next to a police station, where they would stand the most chance of detection? If this is indeed the case, then at the very least the Boracay police would be guilty of gross incompetence.

If the statement is true, then questions also arise as to where the dealer or dealers procure their supply? Questions will no doubt be asked as to whether or not corrupt police officers are involved, since the police station would no doubt have in its keeping any drugs which had previously been confiscated.

This matter is serious enough to warrant a full investigation, which should also include a comprehensive audit of drugs that have been confiscated together with any drugs currently held at the police station, and the questioning of officers in charge of the disposal of confiscated drugs.

This is by no means the first time that questions have arisen regarding the integrity of the Boracay police. One foreign visitor told me that he had heard that foreign tourists were targeted for marijuana possession, whilst local ‘shabu’ dealers were allowed to operate freely due to ‘arrangements’ that they have made with rogue elements within the local police force.

Regardless of whether or not this is true, the very fact that foreign visitors have this perception not only reflects badly upon the reputation of the local police, but upon our national image too, not to mention the impact that it has upon our tourist industry.

We urgently need to put our house in order if we want our tourist industry to survive. My own feeling is that a full and thorough investigation should be instigated without delay, and should be conducted by some outside agency in order to ensure an impartial evaluation. Such an investigation is imperative if we are to restore the reputation of our local police.

With regard to posting these allegations on the internet for others around the world to see, I personally regard this as the height of indiscretion, and totally reprehensible. Ms. Khanna may not care about the image that Filipinos have in the eyes of the world, but the rest of us most certainly do. /TE