Strength for police officers under pressureBy Edna Mae Rabago, Communications Assistant, Philippine Bible Society
MANILA, Philippines — There has been much negative media coverage over recent years of the activities of a small number of disreputable police officers in the Philippines. This has put their hard-working and honest colleagues under great pressure and created tension between them and the general public. Recognising that police morale is at a low ebb, the Philippine Bible Society and the government launched a program to provide officers with support in the form of free Scriptures. Under the Operation: Give a Bible program, 100,000 copies of a special edition of the New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs have been produced for the country’s police officers by the Bible Society and the Movement for Righteous Leadership, part of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). Funding to produce the Philippine National Police-New Testament edition was supplied by The Lord’s Ranch, a US-based Christian organisation. The special edition, which is based on the Today’s English Version text, also contains the Philippine National Police code of ethics. DILG Secretary Joey Lina, who is known to read the Bible regularly, said in a newspaper article that he is strongly in favour of police officers carrying and reading the Scriptures at a time when they are “assailed with negative publicity”. He expressed the hope that the free special edition will “uplift the spiritual morale” of the police force and encourage officers to recognise the importance of God in their work. So far, 65,000 copies of the special New Testament have been distributed by the Bible Society, the Movement for Righteous Leadership and partner ministry organisations to around 150 police units, police academies and provincial and district headquarters throughout the Philippines. Distributors have already seen positive effects, with officers becoming more receptive to God’s Word and requesting prayer support. (WR 380/19 - 10.03)
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