545 new police recruits take oath

CAMP OLIVAS -- A total of 545 new police recruits took their oath at the Police Regional Office (PRO)-Central Luzon headquarters after yesterday’s flag raising rites.

Superintendent Danilo Florentino, chief of the Regional Police Personnel and Human Resource Development Division (RPHRDD), administered the oath taking held in front of this camp’s administrative building.

The 545 new police recruits -- 465 males and 80 females -- were given the rank of Police Officer 1 (PO1).

The new police personnel were chosen after a stringent screening process conducted by the Regional Screening Committee on Recruitment headed by Senior Superintendent Wendy Rosario, Deputy Regional Director for Administration.

Rosario said after their oath-taking ceremony, the new police recruits will further undergo one-year training at the Regional Training School in Magalang town.

“You now officially belong to the special breed of men and women in the noble profession of law enforcement. To fully prepare yourselves for the demands of your new job, you still have to go through the requisite training,” Chief Superintendent Edgardo Ladao, police regional director, told the new police recruits.

“But let me tell you now that your job entails adherence to the PNP (Philippine National Police) Motto of Service, Honor and Justice, and above all maintain the PNP core values of being God fearing, ” Ladao said.

At the same time, Ladao advised the young policemen and policewomen to always keep in mind the people’s rights while enforcing the law without fear or favor, reminding them that “PRO is the Home of the Citizen friendly Policeman and Protector of Human Rights.”

“By now, it should be clear that you need to have a major transformation –from plain civilians to true police officers. The whole PNP itself is undergoing a major change,” the director added.

The hiring of the 545 PO1s completes the first phase of the PRO Regular and Attrition Recruitment Program for the year 2012. The second phase of the PNP recruitment program will be in November 2012. (Ric Sapnu)