POLICE officers are known to be tough and bold. But who would think that a policewoman from Davao City could be a beauty queen?

Twenty-nine-year-old Rocelene Valderosa who represented the Police Regional Office (PRO) 11 was crowned the Miss PNP (Philippine National Police) Summit 2018 held at the Waterfront Hotel last Wednesday.

Valderosa told SunStar Cebu that beyond the big stage of pageantry, she is a Police Officer 1 in the Human Resource Development Division in the Davao City Police Office, which trains PNP personnel. Aside from being a policewoman, she is also a full-time mother to a daughter.

In terms of managing her time from her work to her family, she immediately goes home to do her job as a wife and a mother after her hours of duty.

“I just do my job, and after I’m off duty, I will go home directly and do the job as a mother since I have a daughter and also as a police officer ginabuhat pod nako akong trabaho kung unsa ang ginahatag sa oras (I do my job as expected of me) from beginning until the end,” she said.

She also claimed that joining pageants such as this one is a challenge for her since policewomen are known to be tough and bold. Hence, she sees the competition as a platform that showcases the beauty and femininity of a policewoman.

With regard to sexism inside the workplace, she advised that women must be true to themselves for they do not need to pretend just to please everyone. “Be the person you want to be and not the person everybody expects you to be,” advised Valderosa.

As she starts her reign as Miss PNP Summit 2018 in the country, particularly in Region 11, Valderosa assured that she will project the good image of a policewoman.

Together with Valderosa were PO1 Cathelyne Macalisang of PRO 10 as 4th runner-up, PO1 Je Anne Cayabyab of PRO 1 as 3rd runner-up, PO1 Catherine Elaine Austria of PRO 3 as 2nd runner-up, while PO2 Rhesa Gorgoles of PRO 7 landed as 1st runner-up. (Clarenz Jay Mendoza, USJ-R intern)