Lapu-Lapu's sanggunian endorses cop to Metrobank's search for top policemen

CEBU, Philippines - The Lapu-Lapu City Council is endorsing SPO1 Rodito Viovicente in the 2010 search for the Country’s Outstanding Policemen in Service (COPS), which is sponsored by the Metrobank Foundation.

City Councilor Rodolfo Potot, chairman of the committee on police, said Viovicente has showed remarkable leadership as an officer of the Lapu-Lapu City police department.

“The City of Lapu-Lapu acknowledges the commitment and active involvement of SPO1 Viovicente in ensuring peace and order in the annual endeavors of the city,” Potot said.

Since 1993, the Metrobank Foundation has been supporting programs benefiting dependents of uniformed personnel of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, in recognition of their invaluable role in nation building.

This support takes the form of grants that benefit primarily the Philippine National Police.

In 1999, the Metrobank Foundation set up an endowment fund of P10,000,000 specifically for the recognition of outstanding policemen.

Using the technology and experience it has gained in the conduct of the Search for Outstanding Teachers, the Foundation decided to recognize selected individuals who have excelled among the ranks of the police force, highlighting their achievements and promoting them as models that would hopefully bring back public confidence and respect to the PNP.

According to Potot, the COPS program seeks to highlight the cooperative efforts between the police and the community in safeguarding peace and order in the community.

Viovicente, according to Potot, has also been awarded as police officer of the year 2009 conferred to him by the Rotary Club of Central Mactan.

“Being awarded as the Police Officer of the Year among all other police officers in the entire City of Lapu-Lapu is a commendable accomplishment,” the councilor said.

The competition is open to all policemen who have been in the service for at least seven years. For the commissioned officer category, nominees should have the rank of inspector to superintendent at the time of submission of the nomination forms and documents.

If the nominee was a former non-commissioned officer promoted to commissioned officer, he or she should have served as a commissioned officer for at least two years. Moreover, a nominee with a rank of superintendent should not be scheduled for promotion until after the final judging phase, which will be sometime in June 2008.

For the non-commissioned officer category, nominees should have the rank of police officer 1 to senior police officer 4 at the time of the submission of the nomination form and documents. The nominee should not be scheduled for promotion to a rank of commissioned officer until after the final judging phase, which will also be sometime in June 2008.

The nominee must be of good moral character and must not have been adjudged guilty or liable in any administrative or criminal case. He or she must not have been charged under a criminal information pending in court or must not have any pending administrative charge given due course by any government administrative body. – Garry B. Lao   (FREEMAN NEWS)