Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Director General Oscar Albayalde has accepted the offer of actor Coco Martin, star of ‘Ang Probinsyano,’ to meet and talk about the issue of the supposed bad portrayal of police officers in the primetime blockbuster show.
Martin plays the role of Cardo Dalisay in the long-time running program.
This was confirmed by Chief Superintendent Benigno Durana Jr., PNP spokesperson, who said the meeting was tentatively set on Monday next week.
“Tinanggap na ni Chief PNP ang request ni Cardo, ni Coco Martin sa isang meeting. Alam ko sa Monday para pag-usapan ‘yung detalye ng aming cooperation so that probably, hopefully we can arrive at a situation, a compromise that is mutually beneficial to both parties (The Chief PNP accepted the request of Cardo, played by Coco Martin, for a meeting. I think it was set on Monday to talk about our cooperation so that probably, hopefully we can arrive at a situation, a compromise that is mutually beneficial to both parties),” Durana said.
Aside from the meeting with Albayalde, the management of Ang Probinsyano show is set to hold talks with the Department of the Interior Local and Government (DILG) this week.
The meetings were set amid Albayalde’s statement last week criticising the show for portraying the leadership of PNP as corrupt officials.
However, Durana, speaking for Albayalde who is in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the 87th International Police Organization (Interpol) General Assembly, clarified that they are not trying to censor the program.
“Let me state this categorically, it was never the intention of the PNP to censor whatsoever the plot of Ang Probinsyano. Our primary concern is that we just want to protect the institutional integrity of the PNP which is being maligned by projecting, although it’s fictional, that majority of police are corrupt and even led by a Chief PNP who is corrupt and wearing the uniform in vain,” Durana explained.
“Although it’s fictional, we cannot underestimate the power of shaping the perception of the people. Perception can sometimes be the reality. It’s the public interest that is not being served,” he added.
This was the reason why, according to Durana, the PNP decided to withdraw last Friday all the support, including the firearms, vehicles, uniforms, locations and security, that it has been lending to the show.
“Why can we be complicit to a program that destroys us and the public interest? Pakikialam ba ‘yan sa plot (Is it meddling with the plot)? Hindi na kami kasama doon (We’re no longer concerned with that). It’s like we take caliber .45 pistols and shoot our own foot,” Durana noted.
He also claimed that actor Martin has issued a public apology to Albayalde and the entire PNP in a televised interview.
“He apologized to Chief PNP and to the entire PNP because the way we are being portrayed is the exact opposite of what’s happening with our internal cleansing program,” Durana said.
“It never happened in the entire history of PNP that majority of us are corrupt. We do not deny that there are some few misfits and scalawags but they don’t reflect the entire majority of service personnel who are honest, dedicated and professional,” he added. (Martin A. Sadongdong)