Some of the 10 awardees of the Country’s Outstanding Police in Service (COPS) presented by the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Camp Crame on Monday.
MANILA, Philippines–While the armed Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebels staged a deadly attack for almost a month in Zamboanga City, Police Officer 2 Arshear Usman Ismael was out on ground zero, protecting the people against the rebels.
“Sila po ay nalihis sa tamang landas. Our religion does not teach us to kidnap people and to ask for ransom money. Hindi po katuruan sa Islam na maghasik ka ng lagim (They went astray. Our religion does not teach us to kidnap people and to ask for ransom money. Islam does not teach people to spread evil deeds),” Ismael said of the rebels he faced during the Zamboanga standoff in September 2014 that left at least 155 dead and displaced thousands.
He was among the combined military and police forces who rescued more than 1,000 residents held hostage in the MNLF-occupied villages of Sta. Catalina and Sta. Barbara.
“As a service to my countrymen, I was at the ground zero to provide intelligence information on the whereabouts of MNLF members threatening the safety of Zamboanga residents,” he told INQUIRER.net in an interview on Monday.
Ismael will be awarded with P400,000 cash prize and a medallion for being one of the 10 awardees of the Country’s Outstanding Police Officers in Service (COPS) by the Metrobank Foundation Inc.
“Kaya sa ngayon pilit nating tinutuwid ang mga kasamahan naming muslim sa Zamboanga (That’s why we are trying to straighten our Muslim brothers in Zamboanga). We are negotiating with them to avert any threat the MNLF might impose again,” said Ismael, who is assigned with Zamboang City Police’s Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB).
In an open forum after the presentation of awardees in Camp Crame, Aniceto Sobrepeña, president of Metrobank Foundation Inc., said the ability of the awarded policemen to “balance their time and care” for their family and work was a major consideration in selecting the outstanding cops.
“Tumatak sa akin among other (nominees) ‘yung patuloy nilang pag-aalaga sa family nila, how they can balance work and family (What made a mark to me was their continued support for their families, how they can balance work and family),” he said.
“Other than their work in the precinct, what are their other involvements? Do they do volunteer work in their barangay (village) outside their duty as policeman?” Sobrepeña added, noting that community involvement was an added point for the awarded policemen.
PNP has good side
Police Director Leonardo Espina, PNP’s Deputy Chief for Operations, said the recognition of the 10 policemen gave a positive reflection to the entire police organization.
“This is for each day a policeman does a good deed but doesn’t get recognized in the newspapers,” Espina said.
Meanwhile, the sole female awardee PO3 Comet Dumangeng thanked Metrobank for recognizing their efforts amid the PNP’s negative publicity.
“(At least) the good side of the PNP was highlighted,” said Dumangeng, who heads a Pampanga police station’s Police Community Relations – Family, Juvenile, and Gender-Sensitivity station.
She said a huge chunk of her prize money will go to her colleagues at Sta. Rita Municipal Police Station.
“This is not only my achievement. Lahat kami nagtulong-tulong dito (All of us contributed to this),” she said.
Dumangeng has been actively participating in their local community’s programs for 300 indigent grade one pupils and 20 persons who are physically disabled.
The other awardees were Senior Superintendent Cedrick Train, the deputy regional director for administration in Region 8; Senior Superintendent Rodelio Jocson of the Maguindanao provincial police; Chief Inspector Byron Allatog of the La Trinidad town station in Benguet; Chief Inspector Reynald Ariño of the 5th Special Action Battalion in Zamboanga City;
SPO1 Reynaldo Solante of the Cebu provincial police; SPO1 Rey Sarcon of Region 3; PO3 Alexander Fazon Jr. of Region 13; and PO3 Michael Pontoy of the Aklan provincial police.
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