Talisay cop is country’s best

CEBU, Philippines - A mother from Talisay City, Cebu emerged as the number one in the search for the Country’s Outstanding Police officer in Service (COPS) after a final deliberation in Camp Crame yesterday.

Inspector Margienett Terano Yosores of the Talisay City Police Station bested 153 other nominees in the nationwide search annually held by the Metrobank Foundation, Inc.

Yosores, 46, heads four major sections of theTalisay City Police Station: Operations, Police Community Relations, Women and Children Protection Desk and Family Juvenile Gender Sensitive.

Aside from Yosores, another Cebuano policeman is one of the top 10 COPS 2013 awardees, SPO2 Rodito Torrevillas Viovicente, chief of Police Community Relations of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office.

The three other winners are from Zamboanga and the rest are from Luzon including another policewoman.

MBFI conducted the search in recognition of the valorous and heroic deeds of men and women in uniform, with emphasis on community policing.

Yosores said in an interview that she was overwhelmed to be just included in the top 10, to say nothing of topping the search.

“Di ko kasabot sa akong gibati. Nalipay lang pud ko na sa atong trabaho na makagasto ta’g gamay, ma-awardan diay ta,” the awardee said.

A policewoman for 16 years now, Yosores said among her accomplishments was identifying children in conflict with the law who are taken care of by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, she has also rescued trafficked children and defended abused women.

She believed her accomplishments with the non-government agencies like the Children’s Legal Bureau, Bantay Banay, and Child Protect Movement, among others, made her top the search.

Being a policewoman is a challenging job, Yosores said.

“Usahay naa’y mga di maayong komento against sa amo, but di man na malikayan. Ang ako lang, i-set aside ra nako sila and magpadayon lang sa akong trabaho,” said Yosores.

The Dumaguete City native graduated from the University of the Visayas with a degree in Criminology in 2005. She became an Inspector through lateral entry after she took up Law.

She has a 13-year-old son.

Last December 1, Yosores was also awarded as the Most Outstanding Lady Police Officer on the Exemplary Public Service Award by the Press Media Center.

She was also awarded as policewoman of the year in District 1 in 2011, 2004, and 2006.

Yosores and Viovicente emerged as the most recommended nominees for COPS 2013 after a deliberation conducted by Police Regional Office-7, said Supt. Renato Dugan, chief of the Regional Public Information Office.

Dugan said they chose from the number of police officers recommended by the different police offices. Yosores and Viovicente, among the other recommenders, best fitted the search, said Dugan.

“Atong gibasehan ang ilang accomplishments and performance in general,” the PRO 7 spokesperson said, saying that this is not the first time Cebuano police officers won the search.

The top 10 winners will be awarded during the Metrobank anniversary on September 5 and will each receive P300,000 cash, a trophy courtesy of MBFI, and the Medalya ng Katangi-tanging Gawa from the PNP.

MBFI’s COPS search, Dugan said, just shows that the efforts of the PNP in keeping peace and order in the community is being appreciated by sectors of the society.

Amid negative feedback sometimes aimed at the police, Dugan said the police will react to it normally and even double up efforts in securing the community.

“Ang kinabuhi sa pulis mura og bond paper, na sa kaputi niini, ang makita g’yud ang itom. Pero dili g’yud ni namo i-take as discouragement. Instead, we double our efforts,” the PRO-7 official said as he expressed pride for Yosores and Viovicente.

Yosores and Viovicente and the eight others in the top 10 were chosen from the 20 finalists of COPS, who were chosen last July and were finally deliberated on in Camp Crame yesterday.

A board of judges from different sectors of the society scrutinized the nominees.  — /BRP

 (FREEMAN)