The PNP Initiative: A lesson in volunteerism and partnership

In 1993, after coup attempts and the hope of better prospects under President Fidel Ramos, a small group of officers in the Philippine National Police organized CORPS Foundation, Inc. (Christian Officers Reform the Police Service). In this quietly formed organization, rank does not hold sway, neither does a piece of paper signed with a promise to reform, but a change of heart is of utmost importance. It is all that really matters.

Eleven years later, in September 2004, more than 600 policemen graduated from the PNP Values & Leadership School in Subic Bay, Zambales. The perseverance of that small group of officers had finally seen the first fruits of their dream: the dream of a police force manned by men and women of honor, with an unswerving dedication to do their job well. It is a dream that is against the flow in the real world. It is a dream that is assessed with raised eyebrows by the preponderant skeptics and the downright disheartened. It is a dream snubbed by the power-hungry and the faith-less. It is a dream battered and sometimes squashed.

But a dream based on faith is undaunted by the most formidable of tempests. It stands firm and resolute in its search for what is right. In time, others with similar pursuits have taken note and are lending a hand. In time, the dream will become reality through the spirit of volunteerism and the right partnership.

As a Barug Pilipino volunteer, I watched with pride when then Chief PNP Gen. Edgar B. Aglipay presented the topnotchers of the first batch of a month-long PNP Values & Leadership Trainors' Training in Subic: PC Insp.Arcadio "Jam" A. Jamora Jr. - 1st placer (assigned in Bohol, but now with the Region 7 Office in Camp Sergio Osmena), PC Insp. Rex L.Urbano - 2nd placer, PSupt. Manuel A. Gurtiza - 3rd placer. All three are Cebuanos!

We had a dinner with the PNP top brass at Cardinal Vidal's residence to formally tie up with the PNP on this project, the Cardinal being a BARUG trustee. It was then that Gen. Aglipay tasked the three officers to establish the Central Visayas School by conducting the first training in Cebu. (It started in the first week of July and will be graduating the first batch tomorrow: July 29, 2005) He then gave the three officers an envelop containing P120,000.00 in cash to support the first Visayas training. I was informed that Gen. Aglipay had set aside funds for the continuance of the training throughout the country, but with the change of command, it is now the responsibility of Gen. Samson R. Tucay - head of the PNP Values & Leadership School in Subic - to lobby for funds.

We visited the trainees when they started their month-long training at the complex of the Philippine Public Safety College (under the direct supervision of Tingting Cojuangco who allowed them its free use) way up the Busay mountains, in Barangay Gaas. We saw that there was nothing in the buildings. The trainees had to bring everything - the mattresses on which they slept at night on the floors (no bunks nor beds), monobloc chairs for the kitchen and classrooms, utensils & equipment (computers, white boards, overhead projectors, etc.). Course Director PSupt. Noel Gurtiza, with training officers Jam and Rex, expressed gratitude to the Regional Director PC Supt. Eduardo H. Gador for lending them all the things they needed through the Regional Office.

We were also told that partners who helped conduct the training, paid for their travel fares and brought their own needed equipment, even their food. Some came from Manila, like Dr. Benita Sta. Ana-Nonio, Executive Director (Cebu & Manila) of Metro Psych Facility-Roads & Bridges to Recovery (MPF-RBR) and Dr. Farida Fatima Flores, Managing Director of MPF-RBR. Together with their Cebu-based counterparts, occupational therapist Mr. Marwynne Rivera and psychologist Adrian Libatique, the team conducted the first module, breaking down the psychological walls of the participants in order to open them up to the challenges of change in the weeks to come.

Several partners prepared/shared their modules, facilitated and conducted the training or gave needed materials, like Bibles and books - BARUG PILIPINO, Couples for Christ, BLD, Potters' Academy(Manila), Evangelicum(Manila), Greenhills Christian Fellowship, Metro Psych Facility(Manila & Cebu), Neo Cathechumenate, Kamatuoran, Focolare, PNP Chaplain Service, PNP Values Formation Council, BCBP, among others.

The cash bequeathed by Gen. Aglipay barely covered for the food of the 25 trainees and their trainors for the whole month of July. To save, the trainors requested the local vegetable farmers' coop members to cater for them at P20.00 per meal. Only veggie dishes served, of course, with that very low budget! This would be the first ever prolonged training that the policemen/women have not paid their way through. Their minds have been at peace knowing that their pay will be intact for their families. This is the reason why Gen. Tucay and the rest of the officers concerned in this project want full funding for the trainings so members of the police force will not hesitate to leave active duty for a month because they will not have to pay for their training(no salary deductions). Hopefully, from top to bottom, all PNP force will undertake the Values Training.

Good news for the Cebu-based school is the promise of the Cebu City government, made by Mayor Tomas Osmena no less, to subsidize the next batch. With the devolution of the PNP to LGU supervision, it is but natural for the LGU's to set aside funding for the training and well-being of the men and women tasked to maintain peace and order in the community. Thank you, Mayor Tom, for your vision and ready help.

Gen. Sam Tucay's hope is to establish a Total Wellness Center, starting in Subic and to be replicated in Cebu, Iloilo and somewhere in Mindanao. The center will be a place where police men and women will be guided through their life-altering experiences. It is a place to draw strength from, to be validated and to provide validation as a person of moral fortitude. LGU support is greatly needed in this undertaking, as well as those from the business and private sectors, church-based and civic associations, young and old. Our police force wants to uphold what is morally right, yet it is such an arduous endeavor amidst graft and corruption in the workplace, in the streets, even in the home! Support must be given for them to stay good - at all times, from all quarters, by each partner and volunteer in our individual capacities.

Is this doable? Gen. Sam Tucay believes so as he shared: "By osmosis, they will influence their families…and change will take place over time." He recalled many very affirming testimonies by participants who have since changed for the better. And these, Gen. Sam concluded with a quiet smile, are their invaluable rewards for all the years of their dogged effort towards not just a better, but the best PNP for the country. Shall we do our share?