Bulacan’s pride: All-female SWAT team

CAMP ALEJO SANTOS, Bulacan — Talk about equal rights.

The provincial police takes pride in having an all-female Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team, perhaps the first such squad in the country.

Senior Superintendent Felizardo Serapio Jr., Bulacan police director, told The STAR that the 10-member squad will respond to situations which require policewomen.

"It could be raids on prostitution dens, nightclubs or dormitories for women," he said.

Serapio said the female SWAT members underwent the same training as their male counterparts.

"They are also capable of performing what the males do. They went through the same intensive SWAT training," he said.

Although Metro Manila has policewomen as SWAT members, only Bulacan has an entire team composed of females, he said.

The SWAT team is composed of PO1s Jovelyn Pascual and Vanessa Fabros, who are the team’s snipers; Maria Fe Valencia, Dorina Camado, Marivic Balaba, Shirley Dayag, Jocelyn Carpio, Maricris Ramos, Jacqueline Haplic and Sunshine Pagaduan.

Asked how they feel about being members of the elite strike force, they all expressed confidence that they could perform their duties well.