Siquijor top cop Colonel Angela Rejano says that Maria town’s all-woman police station is signaling the time to move ahead in improving the role of women in Philippines law enforcement.
MANILA, Sept. 23 (Xinhua)—Judith Besas has very much fantasized about becoming a police officer, a desire sparked by her two elder sisters who are all in the sector.
After graduating from the Philippine National Police Academy in 2010, she was assigned a number of tasks in the force: desk-bound at first, assigned to community relations later; and then involved in the intelligence office to take part in anti-crime field operations in the province of Cebu.
On September 14, Besas was selected to coordinate the 28-policewomen’s squad in the first-ever all-female police station in the Philippines in a small town named Maria, situated in the island-province of Siquijor.
“This is a huge privilege for me to be chosen as Chief of Police. It’s a small town, but it’s still a big challenge for me. We’ve got a lot to prove to the people,” she said.
According to Siquijor ‘s top officer, Col. Angela Rejano, the all-female police force is a way to offer women more chances in the military and in the administration, not to restrict them to the office where the country’s policewomen are normally allocated.
“At the time, our regional police chief needed an all-female regional police office. I agreed to look for a more suitable location. I found that there is a municipality here named Maria, a tourist destination and a fairly quiet area,” Rejano said.
Mariang Pulis, or what the natives call the squad, is qualified in a range of police duties that would enable them to handle the whole police station.
“I expect them to be multi-skilled. We’ve trained them in driving, firearm techniques, fingerprinting, arresting methods, and seaboard patrolling, among others. They ‘re not going to be connected to basic office duties or administrative jobs,” she said.
While the PNP is still a male-dominated entity that has a 10 % annual recruiting, training and education quota for women, as stipulated by statute, Besas agrees that these are progressive changes that demonstrate equal opportunity in government. She hopes that more steps will be taken to empower women in the future.
Reference: http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-09/23/c_138415531.htm
