Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz, director of the Bacolod City Police Office, yesterday made it to the list of five finalists, who are vying for the national “Police Commissioned Officer of the Year” award.

De la Paz, who is representing the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations-Visayas, is vying for the award along with Senior Supt. Gilbert Cruz of Southern Luzon, Supt. Renante Reyes of Eastern Mindanao, Supt. Edgar Allan Ocuba of Northern Luzon and Senior Supt. Teodoro Basa of the National Administrative Support Unit.

The five finalists were interviewed yesterday at Camp Crame in Quezon City, by a panel of judges headed by Police Director Elpedio de Asis, chief of the Directorate for Personnel Records and Management.

De la Paz said he is hoping to duplicate the national award he got in 1997, when the Silay City Police Station that he headed was named best city police station in the Philippines.

Police records show that de la Paz was named best police commissioned officer of the year in Western Visayas for four consecutive years, while he was the police chief of San Carlos City and Negros Occidental from 2000 to 2006.

In the same period, the city police station of San Carlos was also chosen several times as best city police station in the region.

A PNP validation team headed by Police Director Catalino Cuy is arriving in Negros Occidental on July 16 to inspect the 6th Regional Public Safety Battalion stationed in Victorias City, Negros Occidental, which is also vying for the national award as best RPSB unit in the country.

The 6th RPSB headed by Senior Supt. Milko Lirazan is competing for the award along with the RPSB units of Police Regional Offices 1 and 4-A in northern and central Luzon, respectively.

The awarding of outstanding police units and individuals will be on August 9 at Camp Crame during the Police Service Day celebration with President Benigno Aquino III as expected guest of honor and speaker.*GPB

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