"I'm the man in the box. Buried in my shit. Won't you come and save me, save me?"
--Alice In Chains
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- Celebrity cop Jovie "The Excited" Espenido, after all, won't be a permanent chief of the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO).
Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa has confirmed he designated the controversial police chief inspector only as officer-in-charge because he is two ranks lower than what is required by law for a highly urbanized metropolis like Iloilo City.
Even before Espenido has occupied the post, there are tell tale signs that Dela Rosa appears to be "unhappy" with his underling's sudden popularity and hubris.
If not for President Duterte's request, Gen. Bato would prefer The Excited to stay in Ozamis City where he ostensibly hasn't yet pulled under the rug from under all the drug traffickers there despite the recent massacre in the Parojinog residence.
We understand Gen. Bato's vacillation.
EXTOL
Ever since President Duterte extolled The Excited for his murderous rampages in Albuera, Leyte and Ozamis City and offered him the Iloilo City assignment during the National Heroes' Day celebration in Taguig City, The Excited has hogged headlines and outstaged Gen. Bato.
All of a sudden, The Excited has turned into a rock star sensation courtesy of the President's baby-sitting treatment.
Before The Excited's fame, Gen. Bato was the master of all shows, grabbing headlines left and right and competed even with President Duterte in media attention with his swashbuckling anti-illegal drugs conquests.
Being a celebrity should be Gen. Bato's franchise in as far as the PNP is concerned. With The Excitement entering the picture, now no more.
Winnie the Pooh once quipped, ”Just because an animal is large, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t want kindness; however big Tigger seems to be, remember that he wants as much kindness as Roo.”
WARN
Robert Greene had warned the likes of The Excited in Law No. 1 of the 48 Laws of Power to "Never Outshine the Master."
"Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite inspire fear and insecurity," the Law suggested.
"Everyone has insecurities. When you show yourself in the world and display your talents, you naturally stir up all kinds of resentment, envy, and other manifestations of insecurity. This is to be expected. You cannot spend your life worrying about the petty feelings of others. With those above you, however, you must take a different approach: when it comes to power, outshining the master is perhaps the worst mistake of all."
The Excited also has the tendency to be overbearing. Instead of dismissing the fears of the Ilonggos that the PNP is a professional organization committed to uphold the supremacy of the law, protect the civilians, and doesn't tolerate unlawful extermination of suspected criminals, he issued stern warnings to Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog as if he was assigned in Iloilo City solely to terrorize the mayor who had been falsely accused as a narco-politician.
