MANILA, Philippines - Like all idealistic junior police officers in the field, all he wanted was to win the hearts and minds of the people in his assigned area of responsibility via his peace and order program. He never thought of being noticed for it, or that his efforts would eventually be recognized and rewarded by his bosses from the PNP general headquarters at Camp Crame in Quezon City.
Assigned in Danao town in Bohol, a 5th class municipality, Inspector Norman Lobrigas Nuez, a criminology graduate who availed of lateral entry to become a police commissioned officer, pursued an innovative local peace and order campaign with the active participation of the local government and the community.
As chief of police of Danao, a town with a population of 20,158, he conceptualized and implemented programs designed to address local problems of insurgency, domestic terrorism, illegal drugs, local organized crime groups and criminals involved in petty crimes such as cellular phone snatching, pickpocketing, and other forms of thievery.
“Winning their (LGU officials) confidence would mean we would gain their support for our programs, while winning the hearts of the people would mean we have the people’s trust and confidence,” the 29-year-old Nuez said.
Nuez adds, he has to fully address the complex peace and order problems in Danao town so as to attract local and foreign tourists to Bohol by making sure that they are safe and out of harm’s way while enjoying the attractions of the area, including the famed Chocolate Hills and the Danao Adventure Park.
Nuez’s efforts to rally the support of all the sectors in his area bore fruit as they were recognized and later appreciated not only by the Danao local officials but also by his superiors.
He was adjudged the winner of the 3rd LEAD PNP Award for 2011, a PNP-initiated program designed to give recognition to the best chief of police for outstanding accomplishments in innovative peace and order and anti-criminality campaigns.
The LEAD PNP Award, which is on its third year, is part of a bigger program that aims to promote the PNP Integrated Transformation Program (ITP) by making the PNP into a more capable, effective and credible police force.
A graduate of BS Criminology, Nuez started his career as a police officer 1 in Danao in 2005. Along with other rookie police officers, he was assigned to provide security to groups of police officers undergoing PNP Values Leadership Formation (VLF) training, a program meant to instill discipline in police personnel.
“Instead of merely providing security to those attending the values formation, Gen. Samuel Tucay allowed us to attend the VLF. It was then that I realized that God should be the center of our lives. From then, I always make it a point to put God first before anything else,” Nuez says.
Nuez also shared his renewed faith in God with his family – his parents and six siblings.
In 2008, Nuez managed to secure approval for his lateral entry to the police force, allowing him to get the rank of a police inspector. It was then that he met a police student, Airish Belle, who eventually became his wife. The couple has a two-year-old daughter Hannah and Airish is now pregnant with their second child.
Safe road
Under the program, Nuez set an advance command post to be stationed in the boundaries of major road networks of Danao. The posts are manned by police officers and barangay officials with hand-held radios, log book and road blocking equipment.
The Safe Road for Tourism Program was complemented with an NGO-organized Task Force IGMAT (Integrated Group of Motorist Acting for Tourism), a crime watch group, to ensure tourist protection.
To bring down the crime rate and discourage its commission, Nuez led his men in posting local emergency numbers in strategic areas in town, so the public could immediately report any untoward incidents happening in those areas.
Although local policy-making is an unusual police task, Nuez formulated and introduced ordinances to local government officials in an effort to improve peace and order. Among these are the traffic code of Danao and the anti-drunkenness ordinance.
Since Danao Adventure Park is the usual destination of local and foreign tourists, Nuez activated and organized the Search and Rescue (SAR) Team to ensure hassle-free recreation of visitors.
Nuez has also been active in conducting joint training seminars on barangay peacekeeping action, disaster preparedness, and emergency and life saving measures.
The Danao police chief also made sure the command has regular updates on the implementation of its plans and programs; and periodic assessment on the performance and identification of strengths and weaknesses, for continued improvement.
He also launched a physical fitness plan for his men at the Danao PNP Station by initiating weight loss programs, even before the PNP national headquarters revived its stringent fitness programs.
Continuous commitment
In his speech addressed to the Lead PNP and other awardees at a fellowship held last Monday, PNP chief Director General Nicanor Bartolome said it is truly inspiring to learn that outstanding personnel from the police service “are not few and far between.”
“Your awards are something to be proud of as they validate all your hard work and commitment to duty. Moreover, they serve as a strong testament to the continuous commitment of the PNP to raise the quality of our service,” he said.
Alongside Nuez, four other police chiefs were also given recognition for their outstanding work as finalists for the 2011 LEAD PNP Award.
Superintendent Gilberto Balneg Tuzon, chief of Tacurong Police Station, is a true peacekeeper and public servant to the 90,477 residents of the city.
Tuzon’s anti-crime program and close coordination with barangay officials has resulted in a peaceful and healthy business climate in the area.
People from 15 neighboring municipalities of Tacurong regularly visit the town to do business. Tacurong is an important hub of the Mindanao transport grid, being visited by numerous transient passengers on their way to the cities of Davao, Cotabato, General Santos, and Cagayan de Oro. In fact, local businessmen have attested to the greatly improved peace and order situation in the province – some of them had decided to leave the city, but decided to stay after noticing the improved situation. Now, several new investors coming from Davao and Cagayan de Oro are opening businesses in Tacurong.
Despite the booming local business activities, Tuzon admits his turf is confronted with many concerns like terrorism, insurgency, kidnapping, illegal drugs and street crimes.
To address the problem head on, Tuzon established Condition Situation Response System (CSRS) to address kidnapping for ransom, improvised explosive device (IED) bomb threats and other threats posed by lawless elements. The CSRS was formed in collaboration with different stakeholders, including the local Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, various transport groups, and bankers’ association.
“The CSRS program had been an effective tool in controlling crimes as manifested by zero kidnapping in our area of responsibility. Through the help of concerned citizens and immediate police response system, we have recovered IEDs, controlled damage brought about by explosions, and apprehended suspects,” Tuzon said.
The Tacurong COP also initiated the local “Kapkap Bakal at Droga” campaign, Oplan Bitag Sasakyan, Oplan Sipkaw, and a 24/7 mobile/beat patrol by sector and established police assistance centers for motorists, tourists and local residents.
Tuzon also assigned and deployed one police officer, who acts as a supervisor in every barangay, that conducted village drug symposia; and in different public schools to educate students of the harmful effect of illegal drugs.
He also initiated a linkage with the local radio communication network Kampilan to widen public dissemination of information about the activities of the local police and at the same time establish rapport with his men by organizing a basketball team to promote sportsmanship.
While being an effective chief of police, Tuzon was able to balance his role as a family man and a public servant. Tuzon has a son and two daughters and has received 34 awards and citations for the local police programs he initiated to ensure peace and order in Tacurong.
Originally from Kidapawan, he decided to bring and raise his family in Tacurong to show his men that git is possible to be both a cop and a family man.”
Senior Superintendent Wilben Manipol Mayor, chief of police of Valenzuela City Police Station, believes in teamwork but encourages every member of his command to perform and excel as an individual officer.
Mayor said the “Individual Performance Is the Key” program was implemented to optimize employment and deployment of personnel in basic police functions that include patrolling, traffic management, intelligence and investigation.
According to Mayor, the program ensures that each member of the organization effectively undertakes his specific tasks and duties in their respective place of assignment.
With the standards on work and discipline in place, Mayor said he envisions the Valenzuela City Police Force to be the “walking ideal” of the PNP who take pride in their profession by being physically, mentally and morally fit for the job and proud of their uniform.
The Valenzuela City Police Force, he says, is fortunate to have local government officials who are supportive of their effort to maintain peace by continuously pouring in financial and material resources to the station.
“We are very fortunate that the local officials of Valenzuela City are giving their all-out support to the local police in confronting all forms of criminal activities in the city, from proliferation of illegal drugs, loose firearms, robbery, illegal gambling, prostitution, carnapping and various street crimes,” Mayor says.
A few weeks after he was designated as Valenzuela COP, Mayor initiated an anti-criminality plan based on “VALUES” (Valenzuela Unified Enforcement System) and conducted trainings and activities to further hone and harness the skills of the local police force.
“We have to hone their skills and harness their best potentials as individual police officers. Through specialized trainings, they were able to sustain their day-to-day operations and provide quality service to the people of Valenzuela City,” according to Mayor.
Superintendent Kirby John Brion Kraft, chief of San Pedro Municipal Police Station in Laguna, also tapped the local community in combatting critical issues – bank robberies, highjacking, carnapping, illegal gambling and proliferation of illegal drugs – in his area of responsibility.
With the support of the community, Kraft formulated “Oplan Bantay San Pedro 24/7,” created the San Pedro Community Organization for Peace and Security, and set up the local tourist police and “Oplan San Pedro Motorcops.”
The San Pedro local government has credited Kraft with helping craft a local ordinance requiring all business establishments and public places to install CCTV cameras.
Kraft said peace and order in San Pedro is important since the town is Laguna fs gateway to Metro Manila. Many residents in San Pedro commute daily for work in Metro Manila. There are also a number of factories in the town.
Aside from the Lead PNP award, Kraft is also a recipient of about 10 other medals for excellent performance.
Superintendent Joel Kagayed Tampis, chief of police of Mariveles, Bataan, has long dreamed of serving his hometown after he graduated from the Philippine National Police Academy 15 years ago. “It is a rare opportunity for a police officer to be given a chance to serve his hometown,” says Tampis, who was appointed as the town’s COP on April 15, 2011.
The first thing he did when he got his appointment was to reach out to his subordinates, local government and barangay officials and their constituents. “With the Dalaw Barangay campaign, policemen visited barangays and held dialogues with the community as part of their PR campaign,” says Tampis.
The effort, he said, immediately got positive results as the local PNP earned the trust of the local folks who helped him in his drive to address the illegal logging and illegal fishing problems in the area through the local task group Bantay Dagat and Gubat.
Also confronted with problems like illegal gambling and proliferation of illegal drugs, he created and implemented a local anti-criminality action plan, tapping the services of barangay officials as force multipliers in the campaign.
The names of the LEAD PNP finalists were submitted to the National Selection Committee chaired by Police Director Jesus Gatchalian, head of the Directorate for Plans and Logistics and composed of Cebu-based priest Fr. Carmelo Diola; University of Asia & the Pacific professor Jose Navarro; GSIS consultant Anicia de Lima; and STARweek editor Doreen Yu.
The selection committee reviewed the dossiers of the five finalists, conducted on-site validation visits which included interviews with members if the police force as well as various stakeholders in each community.
PNP chief Bartolome reminded all the awardees to remain humble and continue working hard to win the trust and confidence of the people.
“Humility is still a trait worth having. Your award is truly a wonderful achievement. However, it is what you do after getting this recognition that truly matters,” Bartolome said.
“Will you be complacent or will you take it as a challenge to do even better? Your accomplishments that led to this recognition have been instrumental in the realization of our goal to make the PNP highly capable, effective and credible police organization.”
He advised the awardees not to rest on their laurels. “It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles. I fm optimistic that this will serve as an inspiration for you to become more committed and give serbisyong may pagkukusa to the people,” he concluded.