232 new cops take oath, 18 rejected

Only 232 men and women took their oath as new members of the Philippine National Police in the region. The oath taking of 18 other applicants have been deferred due to their failure to meet the criteria.

Regional Police director Eduardo Gador said Camp Crame has given the region a quota of 250 men. In the case of the other 18 applicants, some of them reportedly did not meet the required height, were past the required age, failed in the physical agility test, and were found to have health problems.

Gador said it was the National Police Commission-7 that recommended the disqualification of the 18 applicants. A priority list has been prepared for the selection of replacements.

In his speech, Gador told the new cops "not to relax because their oath-taking was not a culmination but a beginning of a three-year insurgency training before they could a heave a sigh of relief as full-fledged officers."

All of them were turned over to the Regional Training School for a four-month basic course in Public Safety after which they would be sent to the Regional Mobile Group for counter-insurgency training.

"Sugod pa lang ni sa inyong pagserbisyo sa publiko. Kining pagpamolis dili sayon tungod kay hasta ang atong kinabuhi kinahanglan isakripisyo (This is just the beginning of your public service career. Being in the police force is no easy job because we are required to sacrifice even our own lives)," Gador said.

According to Gador, it is a given that along with the training some of them would learn foolishness to which he said " for these people we have no place for you in the PNP."

Meanwhile, the final deliberation for the 18 additional cops to complete the 250 quota would be done on Monday and would be made to take their oath immediately.- Ryan P. Borinaga