Three lady officers top investigation course

By Jennifer P. Rendon

During National Women’s Month, three female police officers made a formidable statement on women’s empowerment by topping a traditionally male-dominated investigative course.

Major Hazel Oropel outshone 48 police officers from Western Visayas in the 6-month Investigation Officers Basic Course (IOBC), with 10 female participants.

Oropel, the assistant chief of the Bacolod City Police Office’s City Administrative Resource Management Units (CARMU), earned the highest accolades, finishing first with an impressive 88.07 percent rating.

Not far behind, Captain Everly Canto, the deputy chief of the Murcia Municipal Police Station, clinched the second rank with an 87.86 percent rating, and Captain Beberly Cataluña, chief of the Guimbal Municipal Police Station, secured the third spot with 87.08 percent.

The trio’s success was highlighted at the IOBC Class 247-2023 graduation ceremony held on March 6 at the Grand Xing Imperial Hotel in Iloilo.

Major Gen. Leo Francisco, head of the Directorate for Investigation and Detection Management (DIDM), honored the ceremony as the guest speaker.

Francisco pointed out that the PNP’s overall conviction rate stands at around 23 percent, a figure he attributed to the quality of investigations conducted by personnel.

He expressed optimism that the specialized training offered by the IOBC would change investigative practices and, as a result, improve conviction rates within the next few years.

“With this kind of training, sana mabago and ganyang klase ng imbestigasyon. In the next two to three years, I hope our conviction rate will improve,” he said.

Francisco also encouraged the newly graduated officers to share the invaluable expertise and skills they acquired during their training with their units’ investigative teams, enhancing the overall effectiveness of the PNP’s investigative efforts.