VZCZCXRO7931
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHML #3247/01 2140857
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 020857Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY MANILA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2308
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS IMMEDIATE
RHHMUNA/CDRUSPACOM HONOLULU HI IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MANILA 003247 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL ASEC PHUM RP
SUBJECT: THE AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH NEW POLICE CHIEF 
 
REF: A. MANILA 2680 
 
     ¶B. MANILA 2697 
 
¶1.  Summary. New Philippine National Police (PNP) Director 
General Calderon assured the Ambassador on July 28 that the 
PNP is focusing the necessary resources to investigate and 
bring to justice those responsible for the recent killings of 
leftist activists. The PNP has embarked on a ten-year 
transformation program, while also undertaking a 
comprehensive effort to curb corruption within its ranks. 
The Ambassador turned over computer forensic equipment 
provided by the Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program to the 
PNP's Criminal Investigative and Detection Group. End Summary. 
 
------------------------------ 
Solving extrajudicial killings 
------------------------------ 
 
¶2.  On July 28, the Ambassador, accompanied by DCM and 
members of the Embassy's Law Enforcement Working Group (LEWG) 
paid a courtesy call on the new Director General of the 
Philippine National Police (PNP), General Oscar "Oca" 
Calderon.  (Ref A reported on the Ambassador's meeting with 
outgoing PNP chief Lomibao.)  General Calderon raised the 
killings of leftist activists, assuring the Ambassador that 
the PNP was actively investigating and describing the PNP's 
new Task Force Usig ("to prosecute").  The Task Force was set 
up to coordinate efforts to bring to justice culprits of 
extrajudicial killings as well as to safeguard threatened 
journalists, party-list representatives, and other activists. 
 (Ref B reported on TF Usig's findings and actions; Pol/C 
will meet on August 8 with the TF commander for an update, 
especially given additional recent killings.) 
 
¶3.  General Calderon reiterated that it was strictly against 
Philippine government policy to suppress political dissent or 
fundamental Constitutional freedoms, to use torture, or to 
murder critical journalists, leftists, or members of the 
political opposition.  He emphasized that the GRP would hold 
accountable those who through "excessive zeal and misreading 
or ignorance of applicable law" had engaged in such 
activities, no matter who or how highly-placed they might be. 
 
------------------- 
Fighting corruption 
------------------- 
 
¶4. General Calderon described how the PNP's anti-corruption 
campaign, in conjunction with the PNP's ongoing Integrated 
Transformation Program (ITP), also operates in coordination 
with anti-corruption efforts of other GRP agencies, notably 
the Ombudsman's Integrity Development Review program and the 
Presidential Anti-Graft Commission's Integrity Development 
Action Plan.  He cited the deployment of "Honesty Teams," 
which are special teams of police detectives targeting 
abusive and corrupt policemen.  He explained how the PNP's 
anti-corruption plan includes a series of prevention, 
education, deterrence, and partnership action plans.  As part 
of its anti-corruption drive, the PNP has instituted two new 
anti-corruption projects -- "Kotong Text 2920," which 
encourages the public to report corruption of government 
employees through text messages, and a "PNP Procurement 
Monitoring Information System" (PPMIS), which provides a 
centralized database for all PNP procurement transactions. 
 
¶5.  General Calderon outlined the most common corrupt 
practices, based on PNP investigations and analysis: 
--  personnel, e.g., recruitment, placement, promotion, 
retirement, awards and decorations, discipline, and health 
services; 
--  intelligence, e.g., abuse of intelligence funds, selling 
classified information, fabrication of information for 
extortion, protection rackets, recycling of evidence, abuse 
of authority, irregularity in the service of warrants, and 
"red tape;" 
--  operations, e.g., abuse of authority for personal gain 
and bribery, extortion, and theft during the conduct of 
police operations; 
--  logistics, e.g., irregularities in procurement, supply, 
and disposal of equipment; and, 
--  comptrollership, such as the misuse of government funds, 
malversation, and other corrupt practices. 
 
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ATA equipment 
------------- 
 
¶6.  The Ambassador turned over $190,000 in Anti-Terrorism 
Assistance-funded computer forensic equipment to the PNP's 
Criminal Investigative and Detective Group.  In her speech, 
the Ambassador congratulated General Calderon on his 
promotion, stated that "our countries have a tireless 
 
MANILA 00003247  002 OF 002 
 
 
partnership to improve the lives of Filipinos," and noted 
that the new equipment would help the PNP catch criminals and 
make the streets of the Philippines safer.  (In a separate 
ceremony on July 14, then-A/DCM made a presentation of about 
$95,000 worth of similar equipment to the Acting Director of 
the National Bureau of Investigation.) 
 
Kenney