Badge of courage

On the last pages of his training notebook, Police Officer 2 Aristotle Tacata had written an item on the importance of befriending the media–as well as being wary of them.

"They are great allies to have on your side when the going gets tough… Friendship is like an alien word to some of them and to others it doesn’t even matter. Especially during these times, when the wrongdoings of policemen and other uniformed personnel seem to be the favorite stories making it to the headlines."

A month ago, Tacata did make it to the headlines. Not as an erring cop but as a hero.

And his story was duly given prominence by media, his bravery hailed by everyone – from President Arroyo to the vendors who became his friends.

"One of them told me during the wake that my brother never took advantage of the fact that they gave cops vegetables for free. While others accepted, they said my brother always declined freebies, saying it was not right to take them," recounted his younger sister Carina, a registered nurse and a police officer as well.

Even Carina admitted that she was surprised by his courage when he shot it out with a group of robbers at a convenience store in Makati City last March 12, killing two of them. Last week, the police arrested the rest of the group’s members.

"When he was younger, we didn’t see him as the tough guy type. He was the quiet type," Carina told The STAR.

Tacata was 27 and had a full life ahead of him.

His death came at a time when the PNP was struggling to reclaim the public’s trust, confidence, and respect for policemen.

"Although it was painful to lose a member of the force, I’d say that Tacata’s bravery boosted our cops’ morale. We realized that there are still heroes among us," said Senior Superintendent Rodolfo Sebastian, chief of the Regional Police Community Relations (PCR).

Like the slain Tacata, Sebastian lamented the fact that it is the "kotong" cops who often land in the headlines, even if he acknowledges the presence of rogues in the force.

"It demoralizes us. But those cops are just a minority," he said.

Sebastian noted that what made Tacata’s act more special was that he acted beyond the call of duty.

Tacata had just gotten off duty as a detective at the Makati Police Community Precinct (PCP) 8 when he decided to drop by the LPC Mini-Mart along Kalayaan Avenue to do the groceries.

He was a regular at the store, Carina said, because he rented a room nearby.

When the robbers barged in, all the customers, including Tacata, were made to lie on the floor. Tacata threw away his ID, in case the robbers decide to search the customers. But one of the armed men saw the handcuffs on the cop’s belt.

As the robber alerted his companions, Tacata immediately drew out his service pistol and shot it out with the group.

Carina said the other customers told her that even in the face of danger, her brother was careful not to hit anybody else in the store.

But Tacata was a policeman apparently already a notch above everyone else.

Born on Dec. 23, 1975 in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Aris, as family and friends called him, was a consistent honor student.

He graduated valedictorian in grade school, and with honors in high school, at the Benito Soliven Academy. He earned a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Northern Philippines in 1996, and then became one of the topnotchers in the professional civil service exam in Ilocos.

He was a voracious reader and wrote in flawless English, a rarity among many policemen today. He even kept journals, from which Carina is now trying to learn more about her brother.

In his journals, Tacata listed down the people who have made a strong impact on his life. He wrote a tribute to Kurt Cobain, hailed Aerosmith and Def Leppard.

He said he wanted to join a band as a guitarist or a bassist because it was "cool." He wrote about daily experiences and reflected on them. He wrote about how he regretted not being able to write because the rigid training he had at the PNP left him too tired to do so. He wrote about wanting to finish writing a story.

"Our mother, Carmen, often said he would make a good teacher because he was good in English. She’s a teacher, too, but she’s convinced that Aris would be better than her," Carina said.

But their father, Evaristo, who died three years ago of diabetes, wanted his only son to be in uniform like him. He was a major with the Philippine Constabulary, Carina said.

"He was proud when I joined the PNP but I saw how much prouder and happier he was when my brother followed suit," she added, without a trace of jealousy in her voice.

Tacata was predictably the favorite among the brood of three. Their elder sister, Angie, is also a teacher in their hometown.

When Tacata was killed, Carina said their 62-year-old mother blamed her for a while. "Because I also encouraged him to join the PNP," she explained.

But all of 25 years, Carina also exhibited the same courage as her brother did. "It’s hard to cope with the loss but it’s our job to serve and protect."

She added that seeing how the PNP and all the others paid tribute to his brother brought consolation to the family, too.

Metro police chief, Deputy Director General Reynaldo Velasco, named a Makati police sub-station after Tacata. He also attended Tacata’s funeral in Ilocos, along with Tacata’s superiors and colleagues at the Makati City police, whom Carina said all wept unabashedly for her brother.

The local government in Vigan had also ordered in a resolution that police stations in the area should hang a picture of Tacata to remind, inspire, and motivate policemen, Carina said.

People continue to flock to their house in Barangay Flora, Sto. Domingo, Vigan, she added, giving their mother strength.

"Lately, it dawned on my that my brother’s indeed a hero because of the gestures of the PNP, with the honor and respect they gave him," Carina said.

And for Col. Sebastian, Tacata’s bravery was "proof that the PNP is still a very good organization because it still has people like him."