ANTI-CRIME CZAR NAMED

President Taps Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte

DAVAO City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who has earned a reputation for being
tough with criminals, was named by President Macapagal-Arroyo to head a
special task force that will fight kidnapping syndicates and drug lords.

The President announced Duterte's appointment yesterday at the turnover
ceremonies of the Philippine National Police (PNP) command in Camp Crame.

She ordered the new PNP chief, Director-General Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. to
call a summit on kidnapping and illegal drugs and draw up a battle plan
against them.

Ebdane replaced Leandro Mendoza, who has been appointed Transportation and
Communication secretary.

The President challenged Ebdane to put an end to kidnappings-for-ransom in
Metro Manila and the provinces within a year.

With the creation of the Duterte task force, the President has abolished
the National Anti-Kidnapping Task Force which Ebdane used to head.

Duterte is known to deal with kidnap gangs and drug dealers in Davao City
with an iron fist. During his term as mayor, there were several cases of
salvagings or extra-judicial executions of suspected criminals.

The summit was supposed to be held on Monday but Ebdane, according to the
President, asked for a one-day extension to be able to put the plan together.

The President said the summit would be similar to the one on illegal
gambling called by Interior and Local Government Secretary Joey Lina and
Mendoza last April.

"I expect this summit to clearly define the parameters of command
responsibility with respect to kidnapping and drugs including reapplication
of due process to the principle of command responsibility in the fight
against kidnapping and drugs. I also expect that this parameters will be
understood and accepted by the whole PNP organization," the President said.

Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo stressed that command responsibility must be observed
broadly in the police organization.

"For errant cops, the commander will share the blame. As I said earlier to
the military, the more frequent the bungling happens, the higher the
command responsibility goes," she said.

The President asked Lina to appoint Col. Rodolfo "Boogie" Mendoza as the
police provincial director of Pampanga.

The President cited Mendoza's "spectacular" success against kidnapping
syndicates and terrorism in her home province.

The President acknowledged that the government still has an image problem
with regard to peace and order.

"In all candor I think we do have some operational problems that we have to
address, you and I. We are in this together and we must unite to face the
challenge," she said.

Ebdane, the President said, was endorsed by the members of the
Chinese-Filipino community.

Former Presidents Aquino and Ramos also vouched for Ebdane's loyalty and
reliability, she said.

Ebdane was chief of the presidential guard in Aquino's time, and was deputy
head of the Presidential Security Group during Ramos' term.