Boracay police lauds school janitor, force multipliers
BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

BORACAY - To recognize the relentless support to maintain peace and order in the island resort, the Boracay Special Tourist Protection Office (BSTPO) awarded a school janitor and deserving groups and individuals for their contributions to the Philippine National Police (PNP) programs recently.

BSTPO chief Superintendent Rolando Vilar lauded Rocelo Gervacio, school janitor of Boracay National High School for recovering the passports and other valuable items of two Turkish nationals. The foreigners were victims of a robbery incident in the island, he said.

PO2 Christopher Mendoza of the Police Community Relations (PCR) section said the BSTPO also recognized Boracay Life Guard 609 Station, Kabalikat Civicom 961-Boracay, Balabag and Manoc-Manoc barangay tanods, Kabayan Action Group-Boracay and the Municipal Auxiliary Police-Boracay for their assistance to the local police during the celebration of Boracay Ati-Atihan and the New Year's Oplan Iwas Paputok campaign. Other awardees were Willy's Beach Club Hotel, Director Reynaldo dela Rosa of the Eminent Persons Group and the local government of Malay of Mayor Ceciron Cawaling.

BSTPO has mobilized barangay tanods, barangay officials and volunteer groups as force multipliers in the island-wide support for crime prevention programs. The local police networking activities and rapport with the local communities contributed to the implementation of peace and order plan in the island.

Meanwhile, the BSTPO also signed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Soroptimist International (SI) Boracay, a volunteer service women organization in the island. The signing was attended by Inspector Joylene Buylan, BSTPO chief of Women and Children Protection Desk (WCPD) and Police Community Relations/Family Juvenile Gender Sensitivity Section and SI Boracay president Elena Brugger and vice president Nieva Mendoza.

The two parties will conduct lectures on the rights of women and children, assist the BSTPO in giving assistance through counseling and trainings to victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence and to inform the community of the existence of BSTPO's WCPD and PCR where the victims could report the crimes committed.