In Tublay, Benguet, the local police enforce the law with great compassion, even for those who have been hiding from it.
This is why when they arrested a pregnant woman, they opted to bring her to a health facility after she was documented at the police station.
Tublay Police Chief, Capt. Eddie Buclig, said they were concerned about the woman’s well-being and that of her baby, which is why they brought her to a diagnostic center in the town, instead of committing her to the station.
During their implementation of the Simultaneous Anti-Criminality and Law Enforcement, the local police arrested the suspect at Acop, Caponga, Tublay on Jan. 11, which was a Saturday.
Believing it was their moral obligation to ensure the welfare of the suspect, the police brought her to the Divine Grace Infirmary and Diagnostic Center, so she could be attended to by health professionals.
She was due to give birth that month.
“It is the right of the accused to be cared for so we decided to commit her to the (health facility) to ensure that she is monitored by the doctors because of her condition,” Buclig said.
The police shouldered the expenses incurred by the suspect at the private health facility.
The suspect, who was turned over to the court on Jan. 13, is listed as one of the top most wanted persons at the provincial level. She was arrested for estafa with no bail recommended.
She reportedly gave birth on Jan. 22, 11 days after she was apprehended.
The story was shared last week during the community validation, which is being conducted by the Benguet Provincial Police Office technical working group (TWG) headed by Provincial Strategy Management Unit Chief, Lt./Col. Gemma A. Braganza. The TWG has been doing its rounds on municipal stations to get the residents’ pulse of their police and gather recommendations on how their men and women in uniform could further improve their performance.
Randomly interviewed residents of Tublay said peace and order in the town is well-maintained.
While the local police earned a generally positive feedback, some recommended for enhanced police visibility, especially in the remote villages, through the conduct of regular patrolling, and for the police to make their contact details available.
The BPPO TWG is winding up its community validation, which was initiated late last year in line with the institutionalization stage of the Philippine National Police Patrol Plan 2030, a transformation program that envisions the PNP to be a highly capable, effective, and credible police service to attain a community that is safer to live, work, and do business in. – Jane B. Cadalig
April 25, 2024
