GMA awards RP 10 outstanding cops for 2008

MANILA, Philippines – President Arroyo led the awarding yesterday of the Country’s Outstanding Policemen in Service (COPS) for this year, recognizing their integrity, courage and professionalism in the performance of their duty.

The annual program is organized by the Metrobank Foundation, together with the Rotary Club New Manila East and PSBank.

Seven policemen and three policewomen were chosen from more than 100 nominations of commissioned and non-commissioned officers.

The President gave each of the awardees a trophy and P200,000 cash. She was joined in the ceremony by Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Avelino Razon Jr. Metrobank Foundation president Aniceto Sobrepena, PSBank president Pascual Garcia III and Rotary Club of New Manila East president Gener Mendoza.

Garcia said that the 10 awardees “prove that there are countless members of the police force who continue to selflessly serve and protect the people in order to preserve peace and order and ultimately contribute to the task of nation-building.”

The commissioned officers who received the award this year were Superintendent Jonathan Calixto, commander of the 1st Special Action Battalion of the PNP Special Action Force; Superintendent Ronald Lee, division chief of the Police Anti-Crime and Emergency Response (PACER) at Camp Crame; Superintendent Raynold Rosero, deputy chief of the Philippine Bomb Data Center Directorate for Operations; and Superintendent Alex Sintin, chief of the District Intelligence and Operations Unit of the Quezon City Police District.

The non-commissioned officer awardees were Senior Police Officer 1 Annie Marie Anuary, chief of the Women and Children Concerns Desk of Zamboanga City Police Station 6; PO3 Anna Liza Reyes, human rights desk officer and finance and police community relations officer of the Antipolo City Police Station; SPO2 Josefa Lacandula of the Women and Children Concerns Desk of the Dumaguete City Police Station; SPO2 Oscar Bandoy, intelligence officer of the Intelligence Research Section of the Police Regional Office 8 in Camp Kangleon, Palo, Leyte; PO3 Dandy Ferriol, investigator of the Masbate Police Station in Masbate City; and SPO1 Eman Orivida, operations sergeant of the 416th Police Provincial Mobile Group based in Macalelon, Quezon.

The selection committee for this year’s COPS was headed by Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Diosdado Peralta.