Transform the PNP: Transform the Nation

(Excerpts from the CORPS Movement Vision Casting activity for the Independent Baptist Missions for Asians 
last February 6, 2011 at Tuguegarao City)

“If you want to transform the Nation, you should first transform its police.”

For most people, the Philippine National Police culture often resembles a Clint Eastwood movie backdrop wherein the good, the bad and even the ugly are meshed into one. Usual corruption charges, barbaric brutality, and ghastly manner of implementation displayed on the ill-fated Manila bus hostage tragedy brought only more ire not only from the Filipino public but also the world from the PNP.

But is it only the PNP?

The recent Senate hearings on the jueteng payola and “pasalubong and pabaon” charged LGUs and other Armed Forces units of the same corruption and wayward means.

The truth is the PNP only gets a “special eye” from the media because they are the most visible and most accessible government armed unit. Surely there are more unreported misdeeds happening all over armed forces unit of the government.

Unfavorable media mud slinging or not, the CORPS movement has not turned a blind-eye on the issues rocking the police organization and has been active in the PNP’s reform agenda. The Integrated Transformation Program (ITP) by the Project Management Office (PMO) was heavily influenced by the members of the CORPS Movement who shared their analytical finds, factual experiences, astute management insights and biblical principles to the program.

Bless Our Cops (BOC) program was one of the CORPS movements projects integrated into the PMO.  Its mission is to gather communities and churches to “profess blessings to the Police/ Authority and to evangelize them” based on the principle of 1 Timothy 2:1 (“First of all, then, I urge that prayers, petitions and thanksgiving be made in behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life on all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savoir who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”)

BOC program is moving to the principle of transformation based on James 5:20 : “Let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.”

If the PNP is deemed by public perception and the media as the most corrupt, Christians should do everything possible to save every policeman!

The CORPS movement has taken it as a challenge to put God into every cop and from its ministry experience it has realized five key reasons on why should Christians partake in evangelizing and transforming the PNP:

1.   The Police are Ministry Highways to all of Society- A Police Officer transacts with all sectors of society. From vendors, businessmen, media, schools, local government, community leaders, churches, etc.; all are served by the police and once in their lifetime they have been acquainted to their local police. If a pastor who is limited to the pulpit or even his church should suddenly develop a friendship with a police and got introduced to his or her network, his/her ministry network also expands.

2.   In a Police Station alone, evangelism opportunities are 24/7- If one Christian who has a strong desire to evangelize and wishes to continuously share the word of God through counseling, all he has to do is befriend a local police and wait at a Police Station’s detention cell. If statistic holds true (One criminal is apprehended by the police every hour in Metro); there should be 8640 souls to evangelize in a year. Also, If you win over a ranking police officer to Christ, he would find ways for his men to be shared with the Gospel. For example a Chief of Police in a Police Station has an average of 100 men, could easily set a bible study as part of the PNP’s moral ascendancy program.

3.   Social Credentials for Ministers- For most Christians, we are not bothered by the way society thinks of us for we take more credence on what God thinks of us. Nonetheless, in order to touch an unbelieving world, you must have some credentials to be spoken of as well. Ministering to the police (or just being seen with them) and being regarded a valuable ally to them is a great credential.

4.   Security- The PNP is the largest (strength and coverage wise) armed service in the country and arguably the most powerful. National Security as well as our basic freedom is dependent on how well the PNP carry out its duty as well as our basic freedom. Ministering to them and counseling them, on how to use that power could greatly affect the peace and order situation of any locality including a church’s immediate community.

5.   Policemen Today, Government Leaders Tomorrow- In 1992, a Philippine Constabulary (the PNP’s predecessor) General became the President of the Philippines. Most policemen become public administrators and politicians after they retired from the PNP. (Lacson, Mendoza, Ebdane, Razon et al). If a pastor disciples one of this policemen, who will be one day become a Department Secretary, Senator or even a President, their ministry could be upgraded to a National Level.

The CORPS Movement believes that police is a vital mission field wherein nation building is quite possible thus it calls on to all churches to transform the PNP: transform the Nation!