4 Manila cops commended for working on a Sunday

MANILA, Philippines—As his first official act, the new head of the Manila Police District (MPD) commended four of his men for conducting police visibility operations on a Sunday.

Saying it was rare for him to see policemen patrolling the city’s streets, especially on a weekend, MPD director Chief Supt. Rolando Asuncion ordered the records and management division to prepare a letter of commendation for Chief Insp. Elmer Oceo, SPO2 Alejandro Cardinez, PO2 Fernando Coloma and PO2 Xerxes Butuyan. All four are assigned at the MPD Station 5 in Ermita.

In a speech during the change of command ceremony held at the MPD headquarters on UN Avenue on Monday, Asuncion shared that he chanced upon the group’s mobile unit with plate number SJA 909 near the Pedro Gil entrance of Robinsons Manila on Sunday afternoon.

“I was so happy to notice the police patrol car. It was my first time to see in months a mobile unit patrolling the streets of Manila,” he said.

Oceo, the Lawton Police Community Precinct commander, said in an interview with the Inquirer that he and the three police officers were conducting “staff duty” operations in the area at that time.

“The four of us were assigned to conduct police visibility operations near the Ermita area, that’s why we were there,” he added.

The precinct commander said that he was not aware that Asuncion spotted them and took note of their car’s plate number.

“It is rare for a district director in the city to give that kind of recognition to police officers like us,” said Oceo who expressed his thanks to the MPD director for noticing their efforts.

The former executive officer of the Directorate for Intelligence at the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame, Asuncion was tasked to lead Manila’s Finest after former MPD director Chief Supt. Isagani Genabe Jr. was assigned to head the Police Regional Office 10 in Northern Mindanao.

“I came here with great enthusiasm; with the [support] of every personnel of Manila’s Finest, [we can achieve] the PNP’s vision of a highly capable effective and credible police service by focusing on enhancing the competence of each and every member,” Asuncion said.

Asuncion, a member of the Philippine Military Academy’s Matikas Class of 1983, said that he was committed to bring down the number of street crimes and car theft cases in the city.