A badge of honesty tested three times

SPO1 Jennifer Atanacio receives her medal (right photo) in October from PNP Director General Alan Purisima (who, ironically, is suspended over allegations of illegal wealth) during ceremonies in Cebu City. Atanacio on a normal day of work in uniform (left photo)

CEBU CITY—The policewoman felt like she was being put to test. When SPO1 Jennifer Atanacio handed over P100 to the cashier of an eatery in Tagbilaran City, Bohol province, on Aug. 30 to pay for a P70 meal, she was given a change of P70. She returned the excess of P40.

Two days later, she bought food worth P1,600 at a mall in Tagbilaran for guests of the Bohol Provincial Police Office in Camp Dagohoy, but the cashier billed her P800. Again, she called the attention of the cashier about the error.

On Sept. 3, Atanacio was given P200,000 by the cashier of the Armed Forces and Police Savings and Loan Association Inc. (AFPSLAI) after she applied for a loan of only P100,000. She returned the extra bundle of P1,000 bills to the cashier.

“It was as if I was put to a test, but I never considered keeping the money. I believe in karma,” the 41-year-old police officer said, laughing.

Recognition day

Her display of honesty was recognized on Oct. 8 when Director General Alan Purisima, Philippine National Police chief (who is now ironically suspended following allegations of ill-gotten wealth—Ed.), pinned on her the Medalya ng Papuri during a recognition ceremony at Camp Sergio Osmeña, headquarters of the Philippine National Police in Central Visayas in Cebu City.

Friends and relatives from her hometown in Trinidad town in Bohol called her and sent her text messages to congratulate her. But she found most amusing the call from her mother, Priscilla, who told her that she, too, had received text messages praising her for raising an honest daughter.

“I told her that it was true. I would not have become what I am now if not for my upbringing,” Atanacio said.

Money has never been an issue in the family despite the meager pay of her father, retired SPO4 Pascual Cabando, she said.

Following her parents, Atanacio didn’t raise the issue either with her husband, Supt. Jovito Atanacio, head of the Provincial Investigation Detection Management branch in Bohol. She makes sure that their only child, Patrick Eugene, a second-year electrical and computer engineering student, would live a simple but comfortable life with their combined salaries.

Atanacio is the fourth of six children of Pascual and Priscilla. Her older sisters are Rowena, Ma. Lucena and Gwendolyn while her younger brothers are Josue and Godfrey.

Their parents taught them the value of hard work and the need to spend hard-earned money wisely.

All of them were sent to private schools. They rented a room in a boarding house in college.

“We would pool our P75 allowance that we got per week and spent this on our needs. Gwen would normally do the budgeting,” Atanacio recalled.

During semestral breaks, the siblings would go home to Trinidad and work in their father’s farm.

In 1994, Atanacio completed her nursing course and passed the board examination the same year. She worked as a casual employee at Trinidad’s rural health unit (RHU), earning P3,000 per month.

Her two brothers took courses in chemical engineering and medical technology, respectively.

During her breaks, Atanacio would visit her father, who was then the municipal police chief.

Police force

Pascual convinced his daughter to take the test at the National Police Commission in 2000 while waiting for the position of RHU chief nurse to be declared vacant. “Maybe he wanted someone to follow in his footsteps,” she said.

When the chief nurse extended her contract for another five years, she took the test. In November 2001, she entered the Police Regional Training Center in Barangay Lahug in Cebu City, where she met Jovito, who was then their tactical officer.

“What I went through during our training were things that I never thought I was capable of doing. I was very feminine while growing up. I had to cut my hair and join exercises being done by male cadets during our training,” she recalled.

She thought of quitting after four months of training, but she needed the P9,000 monthly pay to help her family.

In 2002, she graduated and was assigned to the women’s and children’s protection desk in Trinidad. Her father had then retired from the service.

“Even when I was already a policewoman, some people would still come to me at the police station and ask assistance on childbirth. I refer them to the RHU,” Atanacio said.

“I have been asked a lot of times why I decided not to practice my profession and travel abroad like the rest of my college classmates. My answer is simple: I never envied them. Had I wanted to earn in dollars, I could have left the country a long time ago,” she said.

Loan application

Because of her dedication to work, Atanacio was named Bohol Province Outstanding Policewoman in 2005.

Now assigned to the Police Community Relations office of the provincial police, she went to the AFPSLAI office in Camp Dagohoy at 9 a.m. of Sept. 3 to apply for the P100,000 loan. She wanted to use P30,000 of the amount to pay her house bills and deposit the rest in her AFPSLAI account to earn interest.

That afternoon, she received the money in an envelope but didn’t bother to count it until she got home. Before going to bed, she checked the envelope and found, to her surprise, two bundles in P1,000 bills. Each bundle contained P100,000.

At 8 a.m. the next day, she returned to the AFPSLAI office to return the extra P100,000. She didn’t want anyone to get in trouble.

The teller was teary-eyed while thanking her. The office had been trying to locate where the missing P100,000 went.

Asked if she didn’t regret surrendering such a huge amount, Atanacio quoted her mother: “You can always find money if you work hard.”

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