TWO graduates of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA)-turned couple have made history after taking their oath of office as Brigadier Generals before PNP chief General Benjamin C. Acorda Jr. one after the other last week.

The two are newly-promoted Brig. Gen. Jose DJ Manalad Jr., the head of the PNP Liaison Office for the Office of the President, and his wife, Brig. Gen. Portia B. Manalad, the director of the PNP Women and Children Protection Office.

The male Manalad is a member of PNPA ‘Sandigan’ Class of 1994 while Portia belongs to PNPA ‘Patnubay’ Class of 1995.

The 53-year old Jose Manalad used to be chief of Regional Staff of the Police Regional Office 13 in Caraga who rose to become its Deputy Regional Director for Operations.

He was also once assigned as the chief of the Canine Operations Division of the PNP EOD/K9 Group.

Unknown to many, the female Manalad is the 1st female graduate of the PNPA who also became the 1st female PNP officer designated as Cotabato City Police Office director.

Her name is included in the Women Corner of the PNP Museum in Camp Crame, being cited for her major role in women development and empowerment in the male-dominated police force.

As director of the PNP-WCPC, the 50-year old official is leading the unit’s all-out effort to help protect abused women and their children.

Prior to that, she was once the PNP-WCPC deputy director. She also was a key official of the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Kosovo and Timor Leste and the Police Regional Office 12 in Soccsksargen.

The official is the only female police general in the country who is known for her vision of having more women in higher positions in the police force to serve as an inspiration to all women in uniform.

Prior to her, other female police generals who headed the PNP-WCPC were now retired Chief Superintendents Yolanda Tanigue and Juanita Nebran.

On February 27, 2012, the National Police Commission issued a resolution calling for the designation of a female police general as director of the PNP-WCPC.

The resolution, signed by the late Department of Interior and Local Government and Napolcom chairman Jesse Robredo and five Napolcom commissioner, that time triggered the designation of Tanigue and Nebran to the top WCPC post until lack of qualified female PNP officers prompted the designation of male officials to the post.

Past male leaders of PNP-WCPC were Chief Superintendent Rosauro Acio, Lyle Carabaccan, William Macavinta, Alessandro Abela, Edgar Cacayan and Arcadio Jamora Jr.

Napolcom Resolution No. 2012-099 confirmed the status of the WCPC as a regular office of the PNP citing Section 14 of Republic Act No. 6975 as amended which provided that the Napolcom shall exercise administrative control and supervision of the PNP and PNP General Orders No. DPL 7-03 which provided for the provisional upgrading of the Women and Children Concerns Division to PNP-WCPC.

The PNP-WCPC, according to the 2012 Napolcom resolution, shall serve as a ‘one-stop shop for the investigation and treatment of victims of child abuse, violence against women and other similar crimes thru a multi-disciplinary approach.

At present, the PNP-WCPC formulates relevant training programs for PNP personnel handling cases and rendering services for women and children.

It also directs and supervises the enforcement of laws to protect women and children victims to include juvenile offenders from all victims of abuse and exploitation, discrimination and neglect.

The unit also supervises the conduct of investigations, legal and judicial processes of addressing violence against women and children as well as the filing of cases in court for the main purpose of serving the ends of justice for the victims.

Brig. Gen. Portia Manalad is a bemedalled, highly-respective female officer in the 228,000-strong police force.

Since graduating from the PNPA in 1995, she has risen to become a police instructor who earned the respect of foreign law enforcement agents here and abroad each time she speaks on leadership and women and children’s rights in the Philippines.