March 29, 2024

It’s all systems go for the first Baguio City Police Office Women’s Summit, which will focus on mental health and improving the investigation skills of women in uniform who are also frontline workers in the battle against the Covid-19 pandemic.
With the theme: “Strengthening and empowering police women frontliners amidst the pandemic” the summit will gather more than 50 participants at the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Montessori at Camdas, Baguio City on Sept. 17.
Organized by the BCPO under City Director, Col. Glenn Lonogan, and the City Advisory Council (CAC) chaired by Soledad Benwaren, the event will help the participants get a respite from the exhaustion brought about by their exposure in various field works when Anxiety and Depression Support Group Baguio City founder Ricky Balicdang Ducas lectures on strengthening mental health amidst the pandemic.
A BCPO CAC member, Ducas, along with fellow mental health advocates, has been making the rounds in the city and elsewhere to assist individuals suffering from anxiety and depression.
The BCPO CAC has identified mental health issues as one of the concerns that law enforcement agencies such as the Philippine National Police must give preferential attention to, as men and women in uniform are mostly focused on their assigned tasks during this pandemic.
Earlier, PNP Director General Guillermo Eleazar has acknowledged the need to monitor the mental health of police personnel, especially those manifesting signs of emotional and mental health problems.
“Mental health should not be ignored. Just like our physical body, it also needs to be given focus and care,” Eleazar said in a press interview last June.
Another BCPO CAC member, Francis Bernard Caguioa, will share his expertise and insights during the values orientation workshop.
An officer from the National Bureau of Investigation will also be invited as one of the lecturers to help enhance the investigation skills of policewomen.
Aside from ensuring peace and order policewomen are also among those assigned at triages to verify the authenticity of documents presented by individuals who are on essential and non-essential travels and serve as vaccinators and encoders at the vaccination sites.
Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong, a former police officer with vast background on operation and administration, will be invited to share his thoughts how policewomen during his stint with the PNP were motivated to efficiently perform their tasks even during difficult times.
The BCPO CAC will shoulder all expenses to be incurred, including the provision of the venue for the event without funds coming from the PNP. 
Other members of the BCPO CAC from the private and government sectors are Dona Digna Rosario; Joma Rivera; Karl Gabaen; Octavio Moncada; Peter Go; Councilor Levy Lloyd Orcales; Carl Llyod Aloña; Rafael Valencia; and Albert Guinguino, Jr. – BCPO CAC release