A police officer from Baguio City will be part of the more than 200-man team from the Philippine National Police who will represent the country in over 60 sports events in the 2022 World Police and Fire Games in Rotterdam, The Netherlands from July 22 to 31.
Police Staff Sergeant Miguel Carranza, currently detailed at the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Cordillera, will compete in two individual events – half marathon and 10-kilometer cross country – against top athletes from the police and fire departments from more than 70 countries.
He is the lone representative from the Police Regional Office-Cordillera in the WPFG, which is a biennial and an Olympic-style competition joined by active and retired police officers and firefighters worldwide every two years.
“We are humbled to represent PRO-Cor in this prestigious competition. The members of the Philippine contingent will definitely do their best with a hope to bring honor to our country,” Carranza said.
To recall, Carranza is the first active PNP member who joined and successfully completed the 166-km. Ultra Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) race that started and finished in France crossing Italy and Switzerland in 2017.
Since 2015, Carranza has been joining ultra-races and other outdoor activities in Northern Luzon, not only in support of the PNP’s physical fitness and sports development program but also to motivate young and old individuals to be physically and mentally fit amid their busy schedules.
Carranza shared his experience where residents in rural areas where ultra-races are held appreciate the participation of men in uniform like him, saying it is one of the many forms of making police presence felt by the public.
Some of the ultra-races where Carranza joined were the 42-km.,100-km., and 160-km. of the King of the Mountain series in Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya and Mt. Ugo, Itogon, Benguet.
Carranza has also been supporting outdoor events for-cause initiated by private groups to raise funds for victims of typhoons and those needing medical assistance. – Harley F. Palangchao
