Two Cordilleran sons are now holding top positions in the Philippine National Police in B/Gen. Rudolph Botengan Dimas as the new head of the Special Action Force and M/Gen. Edgar Allan Okubo as head of the National Capital Region Police Office.
Dimas, former director of the Police Regional Office-Bicol took the reins from fellow i-Benguet Okubo to lead the elite SAF during the recent turnover ceremony led by PNP Chief Rodolfo Azurin, Jr.
Dimas was born in Kin-iway, Besao, Mountain Province. His mother, Evelyn, hails from Mountain Province while his father, Benjamin, is an Ibaloy from Benguet.
The new SAF chief took his integrity pledge before fellow Cordilleran Col. Ronald T. Laoyan, the acting director of the Regional Internal Affairs Service of the National Capital Region on March 2 at the Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City.
Laoyan and Dimas go a long way back as they both graduated from the Mountain State Agricultural College (MSAC) High School now Benguet State University-Secondary Laboratory School with Dimas a graduate of Batch ‘84 and Laoyan of Batch ‘85.
Dimas was also previously assigned as the Deputy Regional Director for Operation at the Police Regional Office of Calabarzon and director of the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group.
Dimas joins the roster of Cordilleran PNP leaders designated as head of the SAF, which is one of the several elite units that form part of the PNP Special Operations Forces.
The PNP reported that SAF is composed mostly of men and women police personnel from the Cordillera, which was brought to the fore especially during the demise of the 44 SAF personnel when they clashed with the terrorist groups in Mamasapano, Maguindanao del Sur on Jan. 25, 2015.
The then leader of the group now called the brave “SAF 44” was the late La Trinidad son, S/Insp. Gednat Tabdi.
Former SAF director Okubo, meanwhile, vowed to lead the NCRPO with integrity and to uplift the image of the organization by bringing the agency closer to the communities, stating that the NCRPO is the show window of the entire PNP.
Dimas and Okubo belonged to the Philippine National Police Academy “Tagapagpatupad” Class of 1992 from which Dimas received the Outstanding Alumnus or Lakan Award from the PNPA. – Ofelia C. Empian
April 26, 2024
