THE Philippine National Police (PNP) Highway Patrol Group (HPG) has deployed female police officers to help manage traffic along the congested Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (Edsa) in Metro Manila.
PNP-HPG director Brigadier General Eliseo Cruz said 48 female officers finished the 45-day motorcycle riding course.
Twenty will be deployed along EDSA while the others will be assigned in other problematic areas in the regions.
Cruz said the female HPG personnel were trained along with male policemen to respond to any eventualities which they may encounter while on duty.
“Dapat ready sila mag-respond to any given situation dahil mga pulis sila babae man o lalaki. Ito ‘yung tinatawag na gender equality. Pareho lang ang training na pinagdaanan nila,” he said.
(They should be ready to respond to any given situation because they are police officers. This is what we call gender equality. Both men and women underwent the same training.)
Aside from enforcement of traffic rules, the female HPG personnel will be responsible for traffic direction and control in a bid to ease traffic congestion.
The female officers are, however, not deputized yet by the Land Transportation Office and could not issue traffic violation tickets yet.
For now, each female HPG enforcer will be working with another HPG personnel who is deputized to issue a violation ticket.
Patrolwoman Judy Ann Maata, one of the 20 female cops who will be deployed in Edsa, said they will have a different approach with the drivers as compared to the male enforcers due to their “innate ability” to be more gentle and approachable.
“Sa tingin ko ang kaibahan ng mga babae (female cops) sa Edsa is ‘yung the way na mag-approach sa mga drivers kung may violations man sila. Iba ‘yung tingin ng driver sa lalaki compared sa mga babae po,” she said.
(Female officers differ from the men in the way we approach the drivers who commit traffic violations. The drivers also look at female officers differently.)
“Yung lalaki pag nag-approach sila sa mga driver may angas kumbaga pero kung babae ang mag-approach parang hindi sila magagalit sa amin kung mag-approach kasi may respeto sila,” she added.
(The drivers are more respectful when accosted by female enforcers.)
But, just like male cops, Maata said they were also expected to respond to any situation.
“Same training ng mga lalaki ganun din ang ginagawa namin kaya kung may problema man sa kalsada, rerespondehan naming kung anong magagawa namin,” she said.
Maata said female cops are also more unlikely to accept bribes from traffic violators. (SunStar Philippines)