Long before the term “woman empowerment” was coined, she was already at the forefront of being an epitome of what could very well be termed as championing the rights not only of women, but the entire citizenry. At a time when it was taboo to disobey one’s parents over the course or profession one intends to pursue, she had gone ahead to follow her heart’s – nay, her heart and mind’s – desire. In a society where tradition dictates the careers that women and men would pursue, she traversed the road that was less taken for women like her who were reared believing that women and men could never be equal partners in any undertaking.
By all means, Police Lt. Col. (ret.) Rosalinda Balneg Abellon, formerly of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office, Philippine National Police and now, chief of security of the Negros Oriental State University and awarded as one of the Ten Outstanding Policewomen of the Philippines, has come a long way since her first assignment in Amlan, Negros Oriental as a patrolwoman more than four decades ago.
As she recalls, “I was already in my senior year in college when one of my teachers, Ms. Carmen Flores, invited me to an orientation leading to a police basic course. Since I was very close to her as she would sometimes ask me to pinchhit for her in our stenography and management classes, she was able to convince me. I got interested, although initially I was afraid of policemen. I cannot exactly remember the details now, but I used to have a phobia over men in uniform because I had a classmate in elementary whose father was a policeman and our classmates were all afraid of him.”
It was not easy, however, for Abellon to convince her father that she would go on an on-the-job training in Cebu for one and a half months before taking the police basic course for another four months. The training, after all, would be held in August and she was expecting to graduate on that year with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Commerce from the Dumaguete Cathedral College (now Colegio de Santa Catalina de Alejandria). She was finally able to strike a compromise with her father, who put a high premium on education, that he would allow her to go on training provided she would support herself until she finishes her degree.
Abellon was ecstatic with joy; it was not as if she was not used to being self-supporting. She reasoned out that after she completes the police basic course, she would then become a national employee and, thus, be more than able to support herself and even her family.
“At that time, there were not too many women going into the police force. Ms. Flores (who is now retired) and I stuck it out in the training until we were both able to finish,” relates Abellon, who added that she never regretted the decision she made, informing us that one needs to have completed at least 72 units in college to qualify for the police basic course.
“I would like to instill among our young people that being in the police force is a noble profession. In this day and age when many allegations, most of them cruel ones, are hurled against those in the service, I’d like to set an example, most especially that I am a woman,” muses Abellon. In Negros Oriental, she says, more than a hundred women serve in the police force, while there are now almost 10,000 policewomen all over the country.
No less than President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo presented to her the award as one of the Ten Outstanding Policewomen of the Philippines for 2007. Sponsored by Zonta International and Arms Corporation of the Philippines, among her prizes were an officially issued .45 caliber pistol, the Kabalikat Award trophy, a Presidential Achievement Medal, cash of Ps 30,000 from Zonta, and cash incentive of Ps 2,000 from the Directorate for Police Community Relations based in Camp Crame. Now on its 14th year, the search yielded 134 nominees from all over the country, which was later shortlisted to 29 finalists who were to undergo an interview held at Camp Crame before a 20-member panel chaired by Justice Jane Lantion of the Court of Appeals. From the 29, only 10 would be chosen as outstanding policewomen in the country.
In 2002, Abellon was also one of 10 recipients of the Country’s Outstanding Policemen in Service (COPS) sponsored by the Rotary Club of New Manila East. Her office was likewise awarded as Women’s Desk of the Year (2002) in Region 7. In 1998 she was named Policewoman of the Year by the Regional Command in Region 7, aside from being given the Policewoman Centennial Award and the Best Junior Police Commissioned Officer of the Year (2005).
Her other medals of honor are too significant to ignore because they can only be awarded to someone who invested blood, sweat, and tears into the undertaking. Among these are: Medalya ng Kasanayan (PNP Efficiency Medal) for graduating number one among 49 students in the Public Safety Senior Leadership Course, Philippine National Training School; Gawad Kadalubhasaan (PNP Excellence Award) for graduating number one among 60 students in the Police Inspectors Course, National Police College; the PNP Excellence Award for graduating number three among 49 students of PSOBS, National Police College; and, a slew of other medals as well as letters of commendation, certificates of merit, certificates of appreciation, and certificates of recognition from tri-media, civic organizations, NGOs, religious groups, and other government organizations.
Confessing to “being married to the job,” Abellon displays an incomparable dedication to her profession, knowing no hours or holidays or weekends, so long as duty calls.
She has been to Australia to observe police operations there and has visited other ASEAN countries upon the invitation of her fellow members of the police force there. She is quick to add, though, that it has never crossed her mind to leave her country and be part of the brain drain. “I have been indoctrinated in such a way that I always think of who will be left in our country if our good women and men would pack their bags and leave for abroad,” she confesses.
For someone who was called a “crying baby” (Baby being her nickname) on her first day of police duty, Abellon is no longer a pushover today. She can hold her own. She still gets curious glances especially when she is in uniform, but it is not her intention to intimidate anyone. It’s just all part of her job.
In celebration of International Women’s Month in March, let’s give a toast to feisty women like Police Chief Inspector Rosalinda Abellon who makes us all proud to be women. – NWI
