Highest-ranked PNPA grad vows to ensure PNP serves, protects PH

LIEUTENANT General Rhoderick C. Armamento on Thursday maintained his solid support to the Philippine National Police (PNP) leadership’s efforts to ensure that all’s well in the organization tasked to serve and protect the Filipino nation.

The highest-ranked graduate of the PNP Academy in the 227,000-strong police force at present, Lt. Gen. Armamento is currently the director of the Area Police Command-Southern Luzon which he has commanded since April 20, 2022.

The official is a known follower of teachings from good leaders past and present. One of his favorites is a quote from Eleanor Rooselt: A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader, a great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves.”

Eleanor Roosevelt is the wife of American President Franklin D. Roosevelt who made history as the longest-serving First Lady of the United States.

Retiring on June 30, 2024, Armamento finished his secondary education at the Quezon National High School in 1984 and AB Political Science degree at the Enverga University in 1987 before entering the PNPA.

He graduated as a member of PNPA ‘Tagapamayapa’ Class of 1990 before taking his Master of Arts in Public Management degree at the Araullo University.

Also known as a highly decorated and well-rounded officer, Lt. Gen. Armamento has also gone through an array of military and police trainings and courses in the Philippines and abroad.

He is a noted public servant who, as chief of the Valenzuela City Police Station, received the first Golden Eagle Award during the PNP Performance Governance System (PGS) Initiation Stage in 2013.

Lt. Gen. Armamento was meritoriously promoted to the rank of Police Superintendent after a successful police operation against a notorious car theft syndicate operating in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon in 2002.

He was a Hall of Fame Awardee in The Search for Outstanding Lakan of the PNPA Alumni Association Inc. (PNPAAAI) in 2013 and was a recipient of the prestigious Quezon Medalya ng Karangalan in 2018 — a manifestation of his undeniable commitment and leadership to the police service. He is also an expert in police intelligence, investigation, operations and digital governance.

Armamento has held a number of key positions in the PNP including various staff and command positions at the Police Regional Office 3 in Central Luzon; PRO4-B in Mimaropa region; PRO4-A in Calabarzon region and at the National Capital Region Police Office as well as the elite PNP Special Action Force.

He was Quezon Police Provincial Office director in 2017 when he was adjudged as the Best Senior Police Commissioned Officer of the Year by the PRO4-A leadership.

As chief of the Valenzuela City Police Station in 2014, he transformed the local police force to become the Best NCRPO City Police Station.

Lt. Gen. Armamento was also part of the volunteer group deployed at United Nations Transitional Mission East Timor in 2000 where he was designated as the first Filipino Civilian Police Commander in Dili District in 2007.

Being the Head Supervisor of the Contact Tracing Task Group of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group under the Department of Health Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit, Lt. Gen. Armamento made history as he led the unit tasked to conduct immediate contact tracing when the first case of COVID infection reportedly entered the Philippines on January 21, 2020.

He also held other significant positions prior to his current designation. He was once a Director of the Center for Police Strategy Management and a former PNPA director.

As a former director of the PNP Directorate for Information and Communications Technology Management, he spearheaded the conduct of S.M.A.R.T. Policing Projects by conducting caravans to various Police Regional Offices to boost awareness on the PNP’s digital transformation program and upscale the technical capacity of the police on the ground particularly in the sphere of cybersecurity and data privacy.

Under him, the APC-Southern Luzon partnered with the Armed Forces of the Philippines to dismantle three guerrilla fronts of the CPP/NPA Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee and the Bicol Regional Party Committee.

The APC-Southern Luzon and the AFP likewise smashed 11 guerrilla fronts in the region and caused the surrender of 527 CPP/NPA members who also turned over 183 firearms and hundreds of live ammunition to the local police.

He also spearheaded the successful conduct of search and rescue operations to save lives of passengers of the ill-fated M/V Mercraft 2 in Real, Quezon and M/V Asia Philippines Starlite on August 26, 2022.

The first vessel caught fire in the seawaters of Real, Quezon May 23 last year while the 2nd was hit by a fire while docked near the Batangas Port in Batangas City.