Shakeups and breakups

It’s been quite a morning at this writing, with the Philippine National Police (PNP) chief unexpectedly (some say unceremoniously) sacked over a speculated skirmish between him and the National Police Commission (Napolcom).

Already, the rumor mill is grinding on what was said to be a contest — not of will, but of power, where the winner was whom the President deemed more important.

Names are flying around — Torre, Jonvic Remulla, Jose Melencio Nartatez — and the DDS, some noted, may be rejoicing.

This is the Torre of Power credited with making the controversial arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte. He also promised a police force that would respond within three minutes, but here we have the promising PNP head headed out the door after only three months in the position.

Recently, however, it seems a debacle was brewing within the PNP, with the ex-chief (largely seen as inspirational by Filipinos who admired his gumption) standing by a reorganization that he thought fit for the PNP, but that was ultimately made without the behest, let alone approval, of the Napolcom. And an alleged old feud was resurrected.

Another boxing match gone kaput?

In any case, the shakeup that led to a breakup leads us to yesterday’s big news: a newbie congressman’s act of valor that sent a crooked government man to police custody.

Leandro Leviste is in his early 30s — young enough to be bold enough, and apparently fearless. So he helped in the entrapment of an engineer of the Department of Public Works and Highways who reportedly came to hand him P3.126 million in cash.

That’s the measly little pile of money seen on the table in the front page picture of this paper yesterday, and while one wonders at the formula that led to the three million plus change, the fact remains that this is a practice in what is now dubbed the most corrupt department of the Philippine government.

Now we want to know about this gifted child of Senator Loren Legarda and former Batangas governor Antonio Leviste — who is accomplished in his own right. Notwithstanding his privileged childhood, the congressman of Batangas made a fortune on his own after leaving university in the United States to put up a business in solar power.

At the time his vision was like a fairy tale — lower electricity cost for all. Does it sound like the P20-per-kilo rice? Or the housing for all?

Whether or not the dream becomes reality, the point is we need to have such dreamers leading the nation to disruptive change. Leadership without gumption, and leadership without vision — that is how we get stuck, and how people can get corrupted.

What will happen in the fallout? With Torre out in this way, how will the public take it? With an engineer caught red-handed, will an investigation push ahead or will he be “hushed” not with money but with threats by those whose positions might suffer?

At this point, we sit back and watch the show.