Cops, soldiers eye promotion thru SEAG

For doing the country proud in the 23rd Southeast Asian Games, military and police personnel who win gold medals as part of Team Philippines will also get promotions.

Army chief Lt. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon ordered the spot promotion of Pfc. Maristella Torres to corporal after she won the gold in the long jump.

"General Esperon has approved the promotion of Pfc. Maristella Torres to the rank of corporal effective today," Army spokesman Maj. Bartolome Bacarro said, adding that this promotion was made in recognition of Torres’ outstanding performance in the SEA Games.

Torres defeated teammate and Army S/Sgt. Lerma Gabito, who finished second and won the silver medal, an achievement also lauded by the Army leadership.

Besides Torres and Gabito, Army Cpl. Rossie Villarito won a silver medal in the javelin-throwing event.

The Philippine Army fielded 91 athletes in this year’s SEA Games.

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Arturo Lomibao wished luck to all PNP personnel on the Philippine team, particularly those competing in boxing, cycling, karatedo, athletics, shooting, arnis, table tennis and pencak silat.

Lomibao personally spoke with PO2 Mitchel Martinez, a woman boxer who bagged the bronze medal in a previous Asian tournament.

"I told her a promotion awaits her and all the others who will bring honor to the country with a gold medal," Lomibao said in an interview at the white house, official residence of the PNP chief, yesterday afternoon.

Clad in a white barong with the SEA Games logo on the left chest, Lomibao said the PNP will also sweeten the winners’ pot with cash and commendations for all other medalists: "That will be their incentive to perform with excellence. We’ll see how much budget we can afford to give them."

Besides Martinez, other athletes from the PNP include: boxing coach SPO4 Leopoldo Cantancio, boxers PO3 Nolito Velasco and SPO1 Alexander Arroyo; karatekas Senior Inspector Nelson Pacalso, PO3 Junel Perenia and PO2 Jerome Laplana; athletics competitors SPO4 Isidro del Prado, SPO4 Dorie Contejo and SPO1 Mario Castro; cyclist SPO2 Renato Mier, shooter SPO2 Susan Aguado, arnis player PO2 Reneto Tuñacao; table tennis players PO2 Ireneo Valle and PO1 Henberd Ortalla; and pencak silat player PO2 Christopher Yabut.

Lomibao also commended Task Force SEA Games led by Deputy Director General Avelino Razon Jr. for the success of the opening ceremonies Sunday.

Razon said the heightened police deployment will be maintained even after the games end on Dec. 5 to ensure the safety of the athletes and their companions who opt to stay on in the Philippines after the games conclude.

"Police deployment will remain until the last athlete leaves the country," Razon said. "We have information that athletes and their companions will go to tourist destinations in the country, like Boracay, and we are duty-bound to keep them safe."

Lomibao placed police personnel in Metro Manila and four other key regions in the country on full alert to ensure the country’s hosting of the 23rd SEA Games is trouble-free. He also said the police monitored no specific threats to the sports events.

The PNP issued the full alert status for Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Western Visayas and the Central Visayas. Other neighboring regions were put on heightened alert in support of the overall security for the SEA Games.

"Police units must strengthen the security of vulnerable police stations, government installations, telecom sites and other vital installations in response to the vocal threats of renewed hostilities by rebel groups," Lomibao said in his reminder to the PNP’s regional, provincial, district and station commanders nationwide.