Taba cops to be trained as good leaders at Subic camp

"They will be transformed into sound and good leaders."

This was the assurance given by training officer Senior Superintendent Samson Tucay of the 36 "taba" (tamad, abusado, bastos and ayaw padisiplina) policemen now undergoing month-long retraining at the Subic Freeport in Zambales.

Tucay, executive director of the Philippine National Police Human Resource and Doctrine Development (HRDD), said for three days now the 36 policemen have been subjected to back-to-basics and rigorous training but that nobody from the group has shown signs of quitting.

"We are teaching them to be leaders by first becoming good followers," said Tucay, a trusted aide of PNP chief Deputy Director General Edgar Aglipay.

He said the taba cops undergo daily exercises, lectures on basic leadership and formation drills where each one is asked to lead regardless of his rank. Evening prayers are also part of their daily routine.

The trainees have been divested of their service firearms, watches, jewelry and cellular phones so they will not get distracted during the retraining.

They were each given athletic brown and fatigue uniforms, bedsheets and pillows, mosquito nets, blankets and combat boots.

According to Tucay, a day of the taba cops starts with a reveille at 4 a.m. "They wash and change into athletic uniforms, and report for formation 30 minutes later for stretching exercises and calisthenics and then a nine-kilometer run," Tucay told The STAR.

After the athletics, the taba cops freshen themselves up, change into type A uniforms, and report to the mess hall for breakfast.

The lectures, Tucay said, start at 8 a.m. and last up to 4 p.m., followed by another round of jogging, then dinner and more lectures. The policemen’s day ends at 10 p.m., after 15 minutes of prayers and reading of Bible verses.

Helping Tucay in the retraining are Chief Inspectors Bernie Banac, former deputy commander of Station 10 of the Central Police District (CPD), and Ponce Penoses, former aide-de-camp of former PNP chief and now National Security Adviser Hermogenes Ebdane Jr.

Banac and Penones now belong to the Corps Foundation, a God-centered, non-stock and non-profit organization.

The retraining facility is located at the old naval magazine area near the Morong gate of the Subic Freeport.

The trainees are housed in a vacant warehouse with no telephone and television set. According to Tucay, the training facility can accommodate 100 policemen.

Director Avelino Razon Jr., Metro Manila police chief, said the first batch of taba cops have pending criminal and administrative cases, have been listed as absent without leave (AWOL) and have failed the quarterly PNP physical fitness tests twice.