Dacawi: Officer Bugasto

Thursday, December 29, 2011

BAGUIO has just lost one of its outstanding citizens. Former city police chief, Colonel Quintin Madrid Bugasto died early the other Sunday morning, five days after he was brought home from the hospital where he was confined for a lingering illness. He was 86.

“He remained alert 12 hours before he went,” recalled his daughter Thelma at the wake.

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Other police officers would follow his example, but none would and will ever lay claim to the precedent set by Col. Bugasto in the history of the city police office. That was when the force was still dubbed – and aptly so - as Baguio’s Finest, when its officers, men and women wore the smart blue uniform. That was when they were a cut above the rest.

“Boogie” was the first patrolman with the city police to rise as chief of the force and to end his tour of duty as colonel, the equivalent of today’s rank of superintendent.

It took him 40 years to complete such career path – from 1946 to 1986. It was launched by his coming to Baguio as a young guerrilla fighter and then deciding not to return after the war to his hometown of Aguilar, Pangasinan.

For a policeman who never favored gambling, balancing the figures between a non-commissioned officer’s pay and the costs of raising seven children could be a daily stress, if not a nightmare. So he took odd jobs, like squeezing in four hours before dawn driving a bakery delivery truck and serving as caretaker for the Assumption Sisters. So his children could focus on their studies, not self-supporting as he was so he could finish a bachelor’s degree in political science from the Baguio Colleges Foundation.

Fortunately, for him and his wife, the late teacher Felicula Abubo, his kids became academic scholars. Tess, the eldest, was sponsored by the Assumption Sisters until she finished her degree in nursing.

Schooling was also a patrolman’s chance for professional growth to improve his family’s lot. So he took in-service courses at the then National Police Commission training camp in Fort Bonifacio, the University of the Philippines and the National Defense College.

As he completed his chevrons and earned his commissioned officer’s rank, more training opportunities opened up, this time in the United States. He attended the General Police Course at the International Police Academy in Washington D.C., the International Defense and Security Course in Fort Bragg , North Carolina ; and the Civil Disturbance and Riot Procedures in Fort Belvoir , Virginia .

As chief of the force, he always emphasized discipline among his men. Experience told him Baguio’s Finest could only effectively execute its duties if it carried the respect of the community.

“For a peace-keeping force to succeed, it should be supported by the community,” he stressed. “For it to be supported, it must have the respect of the community.”

Experience meant rising from the ranks as beat man or on foot patrol, guard, traffic officer, investigator, motor pool officer, mobile patrol-in-charge, administrative chief and then operations head.

As station commander of Baguio’s Finest, the colonel held in concurrent capacity the positions of regional director for operations and chief of the Jail Management and Penology of the then Regional Command of the Integrated National Police.

The city honored him as its Outstanding Policeman in 1976 and as its Outstanding Citizen in the field of peace and order service in 1978.

After retirement, Col. Bugasto and his wife migrated to the United States, residing in Burke, Virginia where the latter passed away in 1996. The colonel returned home for good in 2003 and lived in the family home in Sitio Bontiway, Tuba, Benguet.

The couple raised seven children: Teresita, a nurse based in Chicago since 1972; Thelma, a chemical engineer (married to Angelito Nunag Dizon) and based in Burke, Virginia; Lope III, a commerce graduate (married to Myrna Gonzales) and now based in Pampanga; Carlito, an industrial engineer who business head of Johayo Trading Company; Marivic, an economics graduate now into helping cancer patients as head of Minda’s Buddies; Marissa; and Carina (married to Benjamin Navarro), principal of Westmont School Montessori.

The colonel is also survived by 15 grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. He was laid to rest at noon last Thursday, together with the porcelain urn containing the cremated remains of his wife, at Heaven’s Garden overlooking the historic and scenic Kennon Road.

(e-mail:mondaxbench@yahoo.com for comments.)