Assumption Speech of

 POLICE CHIEF SUPERINTENDENT CONSTANTE D AZARES JR

Regional Director, Police Regional Office 1

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Police Director General Jesus Verzosa, distinguished guests, fellow officers and policemen, ladies and gentlemen:

With heartfelt gratitude for the confidence placed in me by the Chief of the Philippine National Police, with an unwavering commitment to honor the trust, I humbly accept the appointment as the new Police Director of Region 1. I wish to extend my deepest respect and appreciation to all the leaders and the people for their support.

Tulad ng marami sa ating nandito ngayon, aminin man natin o hindi, mula nang maging ganap tayong pulis, pinangarap nating maabot ang bituin at ilagay ito sa ating balikat. Pinagbuti ko ang pagseserbisyo sa bayan, isinakripisyo ang maraming oras na dapat sana’y kapiling ko ang aking pamilya at inilagay ko sa alanganin, sa hindi na mabilang na pagkakataon, ang aking buhay maging tapat lang sa aking sinumpaang tungkulin.

Dahil dito, naabot ko ang bituin, pero hindi pala dito nagtatapos ang pangarap ko. Dahil sa sandaling maabot mo ang bituin, nanaisin mong ipamahagi ito sa mga taong nagtiwala at patuloy na nagtitiwala sa iyong kakayanang makapaglingkod ng tapat.

I wanted to retire, migrate in a country where my family has spent the past years of their lives without me by their side, and take delight in the fact that I have earned the most coveted star in the PNP. Yet and still, I found it difficult to relieve myself of my police duties. Maybe it’s too early for me to retire, maybe it’s the adrenalin rush or the challenge to resolve a case, or maybe I just want to pay it back to the country and its people and continue being of service for as long as I can. Perhaps, too, the star is placed on the shoulder not as a mere accessory but as a symbol of our continuing responsibility to serve and protect the nation and its people. The famous tagline of CPNP “Lead PNP” will be taken to heart by everyone in PRO1. And I shall lead the PNP 24/7.

As the newly-appointed director of Region 1, I shall uphold the mandate of the PNP Integrated Transformation Program to transform the PNP into a more capable, more effective and the most credible police force. All change comes with effort. I have spent the better part of the past decades, years helping men change their lives, and it taught me a lot about the process of growth and regeneration. Here’s what I’d do when I’m getting ready to turn a galloping horse in a different direction:

FIRST, go to the basic, institute discipline and recharge the minds with doable plans.

SECOND, start talking about what you want to achieve. Solicit as many suggestions or opinions as you can. I look for a 2:1 reaction ratio of “better idea to plain vanilla.” That almost always means that the plan has merit and the idea is original enough to become a sound strategy. The more people you talk to, the more your strategy will come together into something special.

THIRD, figure out an easy aspect of the task ahead and tackle that fast right away. If your goal is to be a good Chief of Police, or investigator, or an Operations Officer. As in the latter, it starts with buying or having a high-end IT technology – secure, perfect commo equipment -- and then start figuring out how to craft a perfect operational plan.

FOURTH, pull others on board. Whether its community relations or work project or friends outside of police ON YOUR REINVENTION MISSION. By then, having others who have bought into your vision -- and feel empowered to give you honest feedback -- can help you hone your strategy.

Today, let’s have this special NEW YEAR, BETTER 2010. We are here and we have a perfect opportunity to start afresh. Start checking up our to-do list. “2010 We Transform” will be our famous tagline. PRO1, the home of the brave policemen!

At ngayong nalalapit na ang eleksyon, hinihiling ko sa inyo na isantabi muna ang inyong pakikipag-ugnayan sa mga pulitiko at hanggat maari, iwasang makilahok sa anumang programa ng mga pulitiko, nakaupo man sa pwesto o naghahangad ng pwesto sa pulitika. Huwag ninyo itong hayaan na maimpluwensyahan ang ating pagpapatupad ng batas.

It is therefore a challenge for me to ensure that the entire police force in the Ilocos Region should not get entangled with any electoral predicaments by staying loyal to the PNP organization and not to any political party or politician.

Pero magagawa lang natin ang lahat ng ito sa pamamagitan ng pakikipagtulungan ng bawat isa sa atin tungo sa isang maayos at tahimik na komunidad at masiguro ang kapayapaan at kaligtasan ng bawat isa sa atin, panahon man ng election o hindi. Hindi ko man maipapangako na walang mangyayaring krimen sa aking nasasakupan mula ngayon, sinisiguro ko naman sa inyo na gagawin ko ang lahat sa abot ng aking makakaya.

Sa aking pagtatapos hayaan nyo akong pasalamatan muli ang aking boss, General Verzosa sir, my previous bosses, and of course Colonel Kit Ortega, my wife who supported me a lot, and above all to God Almighty for giving me a break. Hindi matapos-tapos ang aking galak sa tiwalang ibinigay sa liderato ng PNP, sa katungkulang iniatas sa akin at sa mga susunod na araw na ating pagsasamahan bilang inyong bagong pinuno.

 Muli’t muli, sa aking pamilya, sa mga kapwa ko pulis, sa mga ilokano, sa inyong lahat na nandito ngayon maraming salamat po!