Personality profile: Keeping the public informed
IN A profession dominated by men, Police Chief Inspector Andrea dela Cerna did not let stereotyping bother her but instead used it to excel in what she does – keeping the community secured and informed.
Dela Cerna, 36, already has her name etched in every media here in Davao City being the spokesperson of the Police Regional Office (PRO 11). She is the focal person when media practitioners has questions regarding the security situation and crime incidents and usually appears in press conferences.
Before landing where she is right now, she was initially assigned in the Regional Regional Training Center (RTC 11) in Mintal, Davao City for two years and after she got married to her husband, Jomar dela Cerna, who is also a policeman, and was promoted to Police Senior Inspector in December 2010, she decided to transfer and settle in Davao City in 2011.
She added that she also used to serve in Davao City Police Office (DCPO) as deputy station Commander in Tugbok Police Station (PS 9) and in PRO11 in 2013. She then started in the Regional Public Information Office (RPIO) in November 16, 2015 to present.
Dela Cerna started her journey as a public servant in 2003. Before she entered the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA), she is also a graduate of AB Communication Arts at De La Salle University – Dasmariñas.
According to her, what inspired and cemented her decision to enter the police service is her father, who is a retired police. Her father did not force her to join but the idea of it served as a personal calling in order to serve the country.
“Tinanong nya lang ako kung gusto ko mag-exam so sabi ko try ko. Parang idol ko rin tatay ko at tsaka siguro eto ang calling ko,” Dela Cerna said.
As a woman, it is inevitable that people would doubt her capacity as they were typically perceived as weak and could easily be beaten. However, during their cadetship days she said that they were treated equally and they perform similar activities without gender biases.
“Hindi maiiwasan ung isipin na mas mahina tayo. One thing lang na nasa isip ko kung kaya ng lalaki, kaya rin ntin. Maybe isa yun kaya nagtry ako mag-excel sa practical shooting that is mostly dominated by men,” she said.
Being a police officer, one of the challenging part is how to prove herself to be worthy of the position. When she was in the Special Weapon and Tactics (SWAT), she was only woman then and also the team leader. It was a challenge in the sense that she has to get the trust of her subordinates for them to follow her command.
Aside from her work-related challenges, she also juggles her time being a wife and a mother to her daughter, Andy, 4. She ensures that she is able to balance her time with her family and her work.
But the rewarding part of her job is when people appreciate their efforts as police in security monitoring and the fact that people could sleep at night peacefully.
With the doubts confronting their organization now, she said they cannot please everybody as they are also entitled to their own opinion.
“We respect their opinion, sabi nga we cannot please everybody but we stay proud knowing that we are serving the public, masaya tayo na mas lamang pa rin yung mga nagtitiwala sa kapulisan though we are not perfect,” he said.
She said the police are doing their best to restore the trust and confidence of the public to their organization by doing their job with honesty.