About Ping
The Man Behind the Relentless Warrior
By: Dra. Minguita Padilla
Part IV: Cars, cars everywhere; and not a rogue in sight
Shortly after Ping took over as Chief of the PNP in 1999, almost all the major dailies and tabloids featured an unforgettable photograph: that of the parking lot of Camp Crame, converted into a virtual sea of colorful cars; of various makes and sizes. There was no special parade or car show responsible for this spectacle. The appearance of all those cars was as a result of one of General Ping Lacson’s first orders as Chief PNP: return all vehicles being illegally held by the policemen. Apparently it had become a practice for many members of the PNP to appropriate recovered carnapped vehicles and/or those being held as evidence, for their personal use.
As soon as Ping assumed the post of PNP Chief he immediately ordered the return of these vehicles. But he did so in a way that would allow the guilty to return them anonymously, without losing face, and without any blemish to their record. He literally turned the other way as he gave them a chance to return the vehicles during the night. This is because he knew that this practice was the result of a culture that had become entrenched into the PNP, a culture he inherited; where the boundaries of right and wrong were no longer clear; where grey areas kept growing wider; and where corruption was simply accepted as part of daily life. He wanted to give his men a chance to start fresh, and this was a first step towards that direction. Those who returned the cars were forgiven and indeed given a chance to start anew with a clean slate. Those who did not however, were identified, arrested, dismissed from the service, and charged in court.
This is Ping Lacson’s way. Many fear him because of his firmness and seeming inflexibility. But those who have come to know him up close have also come to realize that he always gives people a chance to do the right thing regardless of past sins. He takes to heart the saying that “Every saint has a sinner’s past, and every sinner has a saint’s future”. Hence he is very forgiving as long as he sees true remorse and a sincere desire to change. But recidivists are a different matter. Just as he is ready to forgive, so is he also ready to throw the full force of the law on those unwilling to stop committing crime.
He took on his job as PNP Chief with the same bravado he displayed when he entered the boxing ring without a mouth guard. Fortunately, this time he came out fairly unscathed; this despite his term being cut short by the ouster of Erap through EDSA II.
As part of his series of columns on “Presidentiables” in the Malaya Newspaper, Lito Banayo summarized Ping’s accomplishments as PNP Chief in his piece entitled “The atypical Ping” (Malaya, February 12, 2009):
“Those who know Lacson up close, who have worked with him, know that he has both the competence and the character for the presidency. As Chief of the PNP for a scant 14 months, he dazzled the nation with theretofore unheard of exploits. In short shrift, he got the erring policemen to return all the carnapped vehicles they kept in their custody and eliminated “kotong” which victimized drivers of jeepneys, taxis, buses, cargo vehicles.
He unleashed the full force of the law against syndicates engaged in kidnap-for-ransom, bank robberies, illegal drugs and illegal gambling, on which last target he clashed with his own commander-in-chief. He chastised his generals for playing golf instead of faithfully doing their mandated tasks, and got everyone in the force to keep physically fit, the measure being the simple expedient of imposing a 34-inch waistline, max. The morale of the nation’s police rose to the highest levels, with financial resources previously kept by headquarters downloaded by the new Chief to each and every police station, making their peace and order capabilities magnified by decent wherewithal.
From the most distrusted agency of government, the police agency became the most trusted --- in less than a year, and Panfilo Lacson became the nation’s most popular official.“
There is one story often told by a German businessman who made the mistake of offering Ping Lacson a bribe during his term as PNP Chief. After speaking to General Lacson about a business proposal, he whispered to Ping, in Filipino at that, as he had already become proficient in the language: “Mayroon din kayo dito General” (“There is also something in this for you General”). The German businessman had ‘been there and done that’, and he expected the usual response. He was not ready for what came next. Ping stood up and looked him straight in the eye; and in a very calm but firm voice said: “If you ever say that to me again, I will throw you in jail”. The German had never encountered such a man. He has been a Ping Lacson fan ever since.
Touching the “untouchable”; thinking the “unthinkable”; doing the “undoable”. Ping Lacson’s term as PNP Chief became legend. But as can be imagined, his exploits also earned him a legion of enemies; particularly among those who saw him as a major rival or threat for the 2004 presidential elections. As he won accolade after accolade for his job well done; as his popularity ratings flew off the roof, a multitude of daggers were being poisoned and sharpened; and aimed directly at his heart.