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Honoring members of PNP ‘Tagapagpatupad’ class of 1992

March 27, 2022 Alfred P. Dalizon 2885 views

Alfred DalizonIMPLEMENTORS. Advocates. Enforcers. I’m referring to the ‘Tagapagpatupads’ or members of the Philippine National Police Academy ‘Tagapagpatupad’ Class of 1992 who were among those honored in Saturday’s PNPA grand alumni homecoming.

A number of them my friends, members of the PNPA Class 1992 marched anew in unison as they reminisced their cadetship days at the country’s premier institute for future police jail and fire officials during the PNPA’s 42nd grand alumni homecoming.

Thirty-two years after their graduation, the Class has already produced 26 star-rank officers, 22 of them still in the active service and trying to make a difference as they continue to ‘serve and protect’ the Filipino public and giving their all-out effort to be leaders who really ‘walk the talk’ to get the respect and admiration of their peers and subordinates.

Two of the ‘Tagapagpatupad’ members are 2-star generals already in the person of Fire Director Louie Puracan, the head of the Bureau of Fire Protection and Major Gen. Rex Urbano, the Deputy Inspector General of the PNP Internal Affairs Service.

There are also 22 active 1-star police generals led by Brigadier Gen. Art Cabalona, at present the regional director of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Police Regional Office; Brig. Gen. Rod Dimas, the hardworking director of the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group; and Brig. Gen. Roderick Alba, the chief of the PNP Public Information Office who also used to be the PNP spokesperson.

Cabalona, currently the Class president became the 1st PNPA graduate to head the BAR police force. He also previously headed the PNP Health Service and was previously a member of the Command Group of the Police Regional Office 8 in Eastern Visayas and a key officer of the PNP Directorate for Comptrollership.

Brig. Gen. Dimas, the class vice-president has received praises from the PNP leadership, the Movement for the Restoration on Peace and Order and different foreign law enforcement agencies for leading the PNP-AKG’s fight against kidnapping-for-ransom.

Under him, the PNP-AKG since April last year has neutralized a number of rogue Chinese nationals who have gained notoriety for abducting and torturing Asian nationals working in POGO companies or playing in casinos in Metro Manila.

Several Chinese nationals arrested by the PNP-AKG were found to be heavily-armed and have tortured their victims in front of video cameras, the ‘torture videos’ being used by the kidnappers to force relatives of their Chinese and Taiwanese victims to heed their ransom demand. The AKG’s feat has earned it recognition from China and Taiwan officials in the country.

On the other hand, Brig. Gen. Alba is ably leading the PNP-PIO’s programs to further attract public confidence to the PNP as envisioned by PNP chief, General Dionards Carlos who has also named the former as the focal person in the protection and security of all journalist and media workers during the national elections, a move which has been hailed by the Presidential Task Force on Media Security.

Brig. Gen. Alba since last January has been regularly talking with more than 133 police spokespersons across the country to discuss the measures and other actions designed by the PNP leadership to ensure the protection of the Philippine press during the May 9 national and local elections.

The others are Brig. Gen. Ronnie Cariaga, the chief of the PNP Command Center under the PNP Directorate for Operations; Brig. Gen. Orlando Yebra Jr., currently the Eastern Police District director; Brig. Gen. Jack Wanky, the PNPA Deputy Director for Administration; Brig. Gen. Samuel Nacion, the Deputy Director for Administration of the National Police Training Institute;

Brig. Gen. Percival Rumbaoa, the Special Police Assistant to the Office of the President; Brig. Gen. Cornelio Comila, the Regional Director of the National Capital Region Police Office’s Regional Internal Affairs Service; Brig. Gen. Joel Doria, the PNPA Commandant;

Brig. Gen. Leumar Abugan, the Executive Officer (Ex-O) of the Area Police Command-Southern Luzon; Briga lawyer and Ex-O of the PNP Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management;

Brig. Gen. Romaldo Bayting, the Deputy Regional Director for Administration (DRDA) of the PRO22 in Cagayan Valley; Brig. Gen. Narcisco Domingo, the DRDA of the PRO3 in Central Luzon; Brig. Gen. David Peredo, the DRDA of the PRO5 in Bicol region;

Brig. Gen. Ross Alvarado, the DRDA of the PRO7 in Central Visayas; Brig. Gen. Ronaldo Cabral, the DRDA of the PRO10 in Northern Mindanao; Brig. Gen Edgar Alan Okubo, the DRDA of the PRO11 in Southern Mindanao; and Brig. Gen. John Chua, the DRDA of the Cordillera Police Regional Office.

A winner of the prestigious Metrobank Search for Outstanding Police Officer in 2013, Okubo has been cited for leading the PRO11’s highly-successful Revitalized-Pulis Sa Barangay or R-PSB project to provide government service to residents of so-called Geographically Isolated and Disadvantageous Areas in Southern Mindanao as envisioned by former PRO11 director, Brig. Gen. Filmore Escobal of PMA ‘Sambisig’ Class of 1991.

The project in which R-PSB personnel closely interact with poor residents including members of indigenous tribes in the region since 2 years ago have resulted in the successful construction of roads, public school buildings, artesian wells and potable water distribution system in the region, their previous poor condition known to be being taken advantage of by the New People’s Army to attract more supporters and sympathizers.

It has also enabled thousands of poor tribesmen to get their birth registration thru the help of the R-PSB personnel.

Four 1-star generals from the Class however have bowed out from the service namely retired Police Brig. Generals Baltazar Israel, Peter Naboye and Celso Bael and retired Fire Chief Superintendent Sydney C. Besana.

Barring the so-called ‘age problem in the PNP,’ still waiting for the chance to get a much-awaited position that will qualify them for promotion to the star-rank are Colonel Lope Ma Lim, the assistant chief of the PNP Human Rights Affairs Office; Col Jerich Royales, the assistant chief of the Legislative Affairs Center of the PNP Directorate for Plans; Col. Lex Ephraim Gurat, the Deputy Director for Administration (DDA) of the PNP Finance Service;

Col. Robert Morico II, the DDA of the PNP Intelligence Group; Col. Marcial Magistrado IV, the DDA of the Police-Community Affairs and Development Group; Col. Milo Pagtalunan, the Deputy District Director for Administration (DDDA) of the Northern Police District in Camanava area; Col. Enrico Vargas, the DDDA of the Southern Police District; Col. Roger Quezada, the Deputy Regional Director for Operations of the Police Regional Office 13 in Caraga region;

Col. Jerico O. Baldeo, the chief of the ICT Plans and Programs Division of the PNP Directorate for Information and Communications Technology Management; Col. Pedro Soliva, the chief PCR-PPD of the PNP Directorate for Police-Community Relations; and Col. Christopher Birung, the chief of the PMD of the Area Police Command-Eastern Mindanao.

Members of the Class have joined the PNP, the BFP and the Bureau of Jail Management upon graduation. Eight of them who have been killed in the performance of duty were also honored during the PNPA alumni homecoming. They are Juanchito Damasco, Expedito Delgado, Manuel Ilejay Jr., Rodney Ramirez, Melchor Oclarit, Jeorlick Faburada, Carlzon Teodosio and Marciano Salvatus.

Lest I forget, I would also like to mention another proud member of the Class, my friend, Romy Iglesia, a bemedaled police colonel who was wrongly accused of a twin murder case in Cebu in February 2014 which he did not really commit.

In 2021, the Court of Appeals affirmed a Cebu City Regional Trial Court decision dismissing the criminal cases filed against him by the National Bureau of Investigation for lack of probable cause.

As I have written previously, Iglesia is fighting not only for reinstatement in the force but for family honor and to be the ‘face’ of police officers and men who really have been wronged in the performance of their duties, with nothing to turn to except their family and friends who understand their situation.

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