For My Law Enforcement Friends

Written on 8/17/08

I realize that I should have written this one before the post on ambulance drivers....so please accept my apologies for not giving the "Pulis" their just due!

I have not taken any pictures of actual law enforcement officers, because a) I do not want to be a tourist, even if they DO have their own branch of service; b) I'm not sure if it is culturally correct; c) it may be against the Filipino Penal Code, or; d) if it is the guy in shorts and flip-flops on the beach with a pulis t-shirt, I would not want to make you too jealous!

There are traffic policemen on the one road through town. Sometimes. And there are no traffic signals at all. They wear yellow shirts and have whistles. It looks like a boring and dangerous assignment.

There is a SWAT vehicle that is a mini-Toyota longbed with benches in the back open to the world and weather. But they all sit with their assault rifles at the ready. (Pointing at pedestrians as they drive by). I have seen them training in military formation. (Note: There are no pictures! You will have to believe me..)

I have met a deputy chief. He was here in Aninuan doing outreach to the community; asking the residents what their problems are. There was a rumor that there was a murder over a domestic dispute. Universal, eh?

Also, please note the phone number to call. It is a lot longer than 911, and looks like a cell phone number.

But they are friendly, as advertised: they let a young woman out of jail right before she was to give birth; drug sentence served. And then they drove her to us. The Deputy Chief had our emergency cell phone number - and Kate had been there at the municipal jail checking on her just a couple of days before. The baby was small but thankfully did not show signs of addiction.

There are rumors of corruption, of course. Our contacts thus far have been friendly.
But:
I would like the tourist police to be as hard on all of the sex-tourists and
families who rent their children to them, as they are on the poor who steal
purses and cameras from careless beach vacationers.
And:
See the good poster, with a cell number? I would like to know how many people call it.
I would like an International Megan's Law, and a Sexual Assault Unit to enforce it, but
I know that not going to happen here soon until people are more indignant and people are
not so so poor.

So, there is real crime here. I am not worried about us. The prey who are children break my heart. So we do little things to let the obvious perverts know that we see them. And we support local and international efforts:

Our website, as we help children in crisis as well as Maternal/Child Health:
http://www.mercyinaction.org

My son-in-law Chris is assisting at the local Stairway Foundation: http://www.stairwayfoundation.org
Working with child victims of sexual assault here in Aninuan, Puerto Galera

I am also a longtime financial supporter: of International Justice Mission
http://www.ijm.org
Former/current Law Enforcement & Lawyers RESCUING child victims and
human slaves around the world, including the Philippines. Consider it!

And, we recently helped a pregnant victim of rape give up her newborn to a reputable Christian adoption agency. Legally. She had been hoping a "rich person in Manila" would take the baby, but with our support and of other missionaries, was really glad about this option. Her family would not have accepted the baby and she had been living here in exile until time to deliver.
The wrong person here felt shame...also universal?

I wish we could do more. But we are helping one at a time. And when God brings someone to us instead of to a baby-buyer, then we act. We have trained to take care of children in crisis and Vicki over the years has developed many relationships with other missionaries as resources. Our mission is primarily to Maternal and Child Health, and there are many aspects to that, for sure. I wish she had time to tell her stories!

And please pray that the self-professed Christian deputy chief will just feel an overpowering urge to use his power to direct the Tourist Pulis to keep the children out of the hands of monsters.

That would help.