The husband of the President of the Philippines is moving swiftly to build bridges for his country’s police.
Literally:
MANILA, Philippines (Reuters) — Philippine police with bad teeth got something to grin about Monday when President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s husband handed out free dentures to improve the confidence and public image of the national force.
Mike Arroyo’s "A New Smile for the Toothless" campaign originally focused on market vendors in Manila but was extended to police officers, who earn as little as $157 per month.
Hey! That’s more than most bloggers make on their blog in a year. But we digress:
Omar Taribul, a senior officer with two decades of service, said he had endured years of humiliation since losing his teeth in a gun battle with communist rebels in 1994.
"I can smile because I now have a brand new set of teeth," Taribul said at the headquarters of the Philippine National Police’s southern command in Manila, as dentists examined members of the force.
About 200 officers have received free dentures, worth about $50 per set. The scheme is due to help another 200 police, as well as their families, with dental care.
The police are called into an office, instructed to open their mouths and told: "You know the drill…" With new dentures, they can make a (Poly)dent in crime.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.