X
    Categories: Opinion

Gas shortage grounds police helicopters

Good news that the Philippine National Police is scheduled to acquire some helicopters for its official use. My only worry is that these helicopters may be taken advatanged of by some unscrupulous police officials to serve their personal interests.

Instead of being used for surveillance operations or monitoring robbers who are on the run in the mazy streets of Metro Manila and elswhere, these helicopters may end up transporting officials to posh subdivisions or golf courses on weekends. I hope I’m wrong in my inferences. But nobody can tell. Anyway, the media are always on the lookout for negative news against corrupt officials and other shenanigans in government.

With the helicopters’ acquisition by the police, this will at least put a stop to daytime robbers getting away with their millions of bank loots. At least, it would seem now easier for the police to monitor from the air as to what direction the robbers are going. In the copious metropolitan city of Los Angeles, whenever there is hot pursuit, it is always nice to see an LAPD helicopter up in the air, which allows them to know the whereabouts of the suspects and the crime’s progress. This means there is a continuing exchange of information from the air to the ground.This is not to mention the independent helicopter of another TV station that is always dispatched whenever there is a hot pursuit operation or crime that is taking place in the area of Los Angeles.

I just doubt if the same can be replicated now that the Philippine National Police is about to acquire these helicopters. But again, the problem that is likely to occur is the non-availability of gasoline which will make it impossible for the helicopters to fly and do the service that needs to be done. Just make sure that when you have these helicopters, gasoline should also be made available. Otherwise, it would again be an inutile acquisition and a waste of public funds.

Al Jeratso: Al Jeratso is a freelance journalist, writer, poet and blogger. Many of his articles, touching on a wide variety of issues, appeared in major leading dailies and magazines both in Manila and abroad, including the United States and England. He held various editorial positions with several media organizations, the last of which was as senior news editor of a newswires organization in Manila.
Related Post