I doff my hats to members of the Philippine National Police who are seeing to it that they will account for wanted rapists in the country no matter how long or where they have been hiding. These cops for sure are really giving a true meaning to the idiomatic expression ‘the long arm of the law.’

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Believe it or not but my experience as a veteran police reporter will show that although they continue to be maligned by the public due to the wrongdoings of a few of their colleagues, many policemen are truly dedicated to their profession and are making sure that they will be going after anybody who commit illegal acts in our country.

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In particular, I’m referring to rapists who have eluded authorities for decades but are now in jail due to the far-reaching power of the police. ‘Galit kami sa rapists’ is a common expression among members of the police force. It is also a fact that even common criminals have their own brand of justice on ‘rapists.’ Just see what happens when a rape suspect is brought to a police jail where he will obviously be given by his cellmates a lesson he can never forget.

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At present, rape is a heinous crime punishable by life imprisonment when committed against women.

The Anti-Rape Law of 1997 defines the crime of rape as follows: When And How Committed. – Rape is committed: 1) By a man who shall have carnal knowledge of a woman under any of the following circumstances: a) Through force, threat, or intimidation; b) When the offended party is deprived of reason or otherwise unconscious; c) By means of fraudulent machination or grave abuse of authority; and d) When the offended party is under twelve (12) years of age or is demented, even though none of the circumstances mentioned above be present.

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The same law also says that rape is also committed “by any person who, under any of the circumstances mentioned in the above-stated paragraph shall commit an act of sexual assault by inserting his penis into another person’s mouth or anal orifice, or any instrument or object, into the genital or anal orifice of another person.

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One good thing that happened in the PNP too is the creation of Women and Child Protection Desks in every police station nationwide. Dedicated personnel of these special desks should be credited for ensuring that cases of violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect of women and children will be immediately addressed.

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When I was a greenhorn covering the Manila Police District and the National Bureau of Investigation in the 80s, I have been a witness to countless cases of victims of rape-both women and children-being interviewed by a male investigator. Just imagine the harrowing experience of a rape victim detailing the abuse she suffered in front of a male cop.

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That problem was addressed when in 2001, the PNP was mandated to establish Women’s Desks in all its police stations across the country, with the end in view of providing the best service trained policewomen can give to a victim of rape compared to the situation in the 70s, 80s and 90s when rape victims experience another humiliation and are degraded as they ‘tell all’ before male investigators and their superiors.

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On a personal note, I would like to congratulate members of the 17 Police Regional Offices and the different PNP National Operational Support Units who have been hauling to jail wanted rapists over the past few months. These officers and men have become true to their word “Galit kami sa rapists” as promised by PNP chief, General Gilor Eleazar. These policemen should be awarded for seeing to it that wanted sex fiends won’t be able to attack more preys in the future.

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They include operatives of the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group headed by soon-to-be Brigadier General Rod Dimas who had made it clear there won’t be no stopping them from going after wanted rapists in the country while tracking down elusive kidnappers at the same time.

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Since last May, at least 18 persons wanted for non-bailable rape cases have been tracked down by PNP-AKG operatives in different parts of the country. Some of the suspects have been in hiding for 10 or 20 years or more until they were finally tracked down in their hiding places.

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Also worthy of commendation are members of the Police Regional Office 5 in Bicol region headed by Brig. Gen. Jonnel Estomo who have already accounted for nine most wanted rapists since the start of the month alone. The suspects were caught in their hiding places in Bicol, Calabarzon region and Metro Manila.

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Even the PNP Intelligence Group headed by Brig. Gen. Warren de Leon has joined the massive hunt for rapists in the country. Over the past two weeks, PNP-IG agents have arrested at least eight most wanted rapists, many of them facing three or four or six counts of rape cases.