Hailed as ‘visionary leader’

PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief General Benjamin C. Acorda Jr. on Friday lauded erstwhile PNP Director for Information Communications and Technology Management (PNP-DICTM), Major Gen. Valeriano T. de Leon, who retired after over 38 years of service in the military and the police force.

The top cop expressed his gratitude to De Leon “for the opportunity to have learned from him, to have worked alongside him, and to have been inspired by him.”

“May his legacy continue to inspire us, and may we always strive to uphold the values and principles he has so admirably demonstrated throughout his distinguished career,” Acorda said.

De Leon will mark his 56th birthday today, Sunday. He has been the PNP-DICTM director since August 8, 2022.

Known for his visionary and above-standard leadership, the member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) “Makatao” Class of 1989 will bid farewell to his sworn duty as a law enforcer, marking the end of his long career in the PNP.

On Friday, a retirement honors ceremony was accorded to the official at the PNP Multi-Purpose Center in Camp Crame, followed by a testimonial dinner.

Born on May 7, 1967 in Tuguegarao City in Cagayan, the official is the youngest of the seven children of Mr. Nicolas De Leon, a certified public accountant, and Mrs. Fe Templo-de Leon, a public school teacher.

He grew up in a family of military men, as most of his uncles on the maternal side graduated from Fort del Pilar and dedicated their lives to military service.

Inspired by his uncles, De Leon took the PMA examination when he was 18 and landed among the “Top 50” successful PMA examinees out of thousands of applicants.

After graduation, he joined the Philippine Constabulary and, as a young Constabulary lieutenant, was assigned to New People’s Army (NPA) rebel-infested areas in the valleys and mountains of Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Kalinga, and Aurora, where he got his “baptism of fire” and earned his Military Merit Medal or Triple “M” for a series of successful counter-insurgency operations.

De Leon also held several administrative positions at the PNP National Headquarters, with his most notable assignment as the chief of the PNP Firearms and Explosives Office where he received the Plaque of Honor, the Gold Award, from the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission.

The award was presented to him by then-President Rodrigo Duterte. He got the award after spearheading the development of an online system and implementing the “no contact policy” at the PNP-FEO as part of his anti-corruption initiatives.

De Leon received a total of 164 medals during his entire career where he became known for his expression, “To serve is our passion, to protect is our action.”

As the PNP-DICTM director, which is at the forefront in the implementation of PNP S.M.A.R.T. policing (Secured, Mobile, AI-driven, Real-time Technology Policing) towards the attainment of a digitally transformed organization, he facilitated the distribution of some P40.3 million worth of ICT items including 433 desktop computers, 1,500 office applications, and 2,142 anti-virus software to all PNP office and units to boost office productivity.