Medals for 27 Negros Region cops

BACOLOD CITY—Twenty-seven police officers from the Negros Island Region were presented medals for meritorious service in a ceremony at Camp Alfredo Montelibano Sr. in this city.

The awarding of the Medalya ng Kasanayan was done Wednesday during the mass oath-taking and pinning of ranks ceremony of 457 newly promoted police officers, including those assigned to the Philippine National Police (PNP) Special Action Force.

The medals were presented by Chief Supt. Edmund Gonzales, outgoing director of Police Regional Office 18 which covered the disbanded Negros Island Region.

The recipients of the award were Chief Supt. Leonardo Cesneros, Senior Supts. Melchor Coronel, Rolando Miranda, Thomas Joseph Martir, Roy Abella, Dennis Dumanew, Supts. Robert Petate, Ronald Floria, Lea Rose Peña, Chief Inspectors Mary Rose Salve Pico ad Donna Marie Rances and SPO4 Celestino Donasco.

The 978 officers in Negros Island and Western Visayas were among the 21,063 PNP personnel nationwide who were promoted.

Ten of the 457 promoted NIR officers are police commissioned officers while another 521 police commissioned and non-commissioned officers assigned in Western Visayas.

Meanwhile, the ceremony for the formal deactivation of Police Regional Office 18 has been moved from September 29 to either October 4 or 5, Gonzales said.