ZAMBOANGA CITY – A decorated policewoman in Zamboanga City has been named one of Ten Outstanding Policewomen of the Philippines in a nationwide search launched by the Philippine National Police and Zonta Club of Makati-Paseo de Roxas Foundation, Inc., Arms Corporation of the Philippines and Andres P. Tamayo, Sr. Foundation, Inc.
Chief Inspector Helen Galvez, who is currently the regional police spokeswoman, received the coveted award along with 9 other female police officers at the national police headquarters Camp Crame in Quezon City on December 3.
The other awardees for the 2018 Search for The Outstanding Policewomen of the Philippines (TOPWP) are Superintendent Olivia Sagaysay, Senior Police Officer 2 Sonia Corpuz and Senior Police Officer 1 Jean Aguada, of the National Capital Regional Police Office; Chief Inspector Ruth Dizon and Senior Inspector Rowena Jacosalem of the Police Regional Office 11; Senior Police Officer 2 Sonia Corpuz, of the Maritime Group; Senior Inspector Jairilyn Camangian and Senior Police Officer 3 Maria San Juan of the Police Regional Office 1; and Senior Inspector Liezl Abenilla and Police Officer 1 Marjorie Pablo, of the Calabarzon Regional Police office.
Galvez, a native of Zamboanga City and daughter of a humble farmer, is also the first female police chief in Western Mindanao after she headed the Labason municipal police office in Zamboanga del Norte and a police station in Zamboanga City.
During her stint as police chief, Galvez who entered the service in 2008, was largely credited for many various campaign and accomplishments and has a strong legacy on police-community relation further bolstering the morale of the policemen. She also conceptualized the community-based Healing in Oneness Policing through Education (HOPE) program aimed at assisting in the rehabilitation and re-education and even skills training of drug surrenderees for their eventual reintegration to society.
She also strengthened the delivery of a holistic intervention for surrenderees and maintained a strategic monitoring system through a fully committed City Anti-Drug Abuse Council. Galvez ensured efficient cascading of HOPE program to police units and she oversees the merging of the different community-based drug rehabilitation programs of the program. This initiative later became the model duplicated by the regional police office in the Wellness and Recovery Program of the national police.
And Galvez is active on the Drug Users Treatment Enhancement Rehabilitation and Technical Education program of the Department of Health and Zamboanga City Medical Center, among others.
Aside from her outstanding achievements, Galvez excelled in combat shooting skills and became a member of Police Regional Office 9 shooting team and is a multi-awarded shooter in numerous sanctioned matches in both local and national levels.
Galvez is also awarded by then Police Director-General Ronald dela Rosa as 2016 Best Junior Police Commissioned Officer during the 116th Police Service Anniversary Celebration.
The search for the Ten Outstanding Policewomen of the Philippines is an annual competition whose aim is to discover and recognize the efforts and achievements of the female members of our national police force.
The yearly award was started by Zonta Club of Makati-Paseo de Roxas together with the PNP who seeks to identify heroic women in the police force who are able to gain the support of the community to prevent and solve crimes in their locality. (Mindanao Examiner)
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