Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), warned on Monday, May 24, all policemen to refrain from riding motorcycles without using helmet, saying law enforcers are not above the law.
Eleazar issued the warning amid repeated complaints and social media posts about policemen caught in photos and videos driving motorcycles without safety gears, particularly helmet.
In some cases, the photos are converted to memes to insult, ridicule the PNP, and insinuate that policemen are above the law.
"Mawawalan ng kredibilidad ang mga alagad ng batas kung sila mismo ay hindi sumusunod sa batas. (We will lose our credibility as law enforcers if are the ones violating the law) Let this be a warning to all our personnel for them to observe the Motorcycle Helmet Law, dahil kung hindi, ako mismo ang didisiplina sa inyo (otherwise, I will personally discipline you)," said Eleazar.
Eleazar said that police personnel should always abide by laws, including those which cover actions considered ordinary, because the public cannot be expected to follow them if the enforcers themselves do not.
“Bakit natin aasahan na sumunod sa batas ang ating mga kababayan kung makikita nila na tayo mismo ang lumalabag? Paano natin makukuha ang respeto at mababawi ang tiwala’t kumpiyansa sa atin ng publiko kung mismong tayo, walang respeto sa ating uniporme? (How can we expect our people to follow the law if they would see that you are the ones violating it. How can we win the respect, trust and confidence of the public if we ourselves do not respect our uniform?)” the PNP Chief said.
Eleazar explained that every law is crafted and enacted with good reason, mostly for public order and safety, and PNP personnel are duty-bound to be its enforcers.
He said that his directive in his assumption speech to lead by example should not only be applicable to PNP commanders but extend to every policeman.
He encouraged the public to immediately report to the PNP’s E-Sumbong complaint monitoring and referral system if they observe law violations, including traffic offenses, being committed by policemen.