DAY 3- Monday Flag Raising Ceremony

Monday Flag Raising Ceremony attended by P/CDT GERLYN MAE L MELITON together with PLTCOL DENNIS BALLA, Chief of Police and other officers present with the Guest of Honor Annabelle Dy Voltar, Pastor Legazpi City.

By law, the flag-raising ceremony is required for all government offices as stated in RA 8491, also known as the Heraldic Code of the Philippines. The Monday Flag raising ceremony promotes reverence and projects our pride and loyalty to our country. We were delighted today with the fine weather, enabling us to proceed with the ceremony.

This day was also a memorable one since I was able to witness an Employee Recognition event given to deserving personnel. This was done to show appreciation and value for their excellent performance and valuable service. The following enumerates sections that have received recognition: 1) Administrative Section, 2) Operations Section, 3) Police Community Relations Section, 4) Investigation Section, 5) Intelligence Section, 6) Finance Section, 7) Logistics Section, 8) Traffic Section, 9) Subpoena/Warrant Section and 10) Police Community Precinct 1-5.

Recognizing a personnel’s contributions to the success of an organization helps them understand how much their leader values them. Award-giving is an essential gesture for organizations as they expand or undergo change. The recognition encourages them to maintain their excellence in work and motivates them to improve further. The same ideas were stipulated in an article published by the Harvard Business Review entitled “A Little Recognition Can Provide a Big Morale Boost.” Said article mentioned a report stating that employers can boost someone’s morale without spending too much. In the article, there are five things one must consider: the most impactful messenger, the best timing, whether to make it private or public, attention to detail, and the importance of starting small.

After the recognition, PLTCOL DENNIS B BALLA, Chief of Police Legazpi City Police Station, requested me to give a little self-introduction. I was truly honored to have a chance to speak before the hardworking police officers of Legazpi City Police Station. It was more extraordinary considering that their head is also an alumnus of my Alma Mater. During my speech, I acknowledged the accomplishments of the different stations, especially for being TOP 1 performing unit (City Level) in the conduct of 1) Gun-Bust Operation, 2) Man-hunt Charlie Operation, 3) Anti-Illegal Drugs Operations and 4) Illegal Gambling Operation.

After the flag-raising ceremony, all PNPA cadets assigned in Police Regional Office V gathered in the office to prepare for a courtesy call to PBGEN RUDOLF BOTENGAN DIMAS, Regional Director. Upon our arrival at Camp Simeon Ola, Legazpi City, some of the Lakans and Lakambini gave us inspirational messages.

“I want you to become keen observers of your station. List down all best practices and lessons learned, and then make an exit call before your return to the academy. “ Galingan niyo sa CAP nyo, at mag doble ingat kayo ngayon pa na malapit na kayo mag graduate”

-PBGEN RUDOLF BOTENGAN DIMAS, Regional Director, Regional Office 5

After the message, he directed us to our respective areas of assignment and had our report to our designated Chief of Police. Accordingly, PCPT Alambra instructed us to create a Viber chat group to send updates regarding our whereabouts. As suggested by the Regional Director, we were placed under monitoring to ensure our welfare and safety. After the courtesy call, we proceeded to our station assignments to perform our duty.

Today’s Wrap-Up:

Today I learned the importance of small wins. Employee recognition may or may not be mandatory. However, as a good leader, it is essential to recognize all contributions, big or small, to improve productivity, longevity, and motivation to keep winning.