Patrolling the Deep

It is common to see a policeman patrolling the streets, directing traffic, even chasing after criminals and arresting lawless elements. But to find a policeman underwater?

It is indeed unusual to find our policemen in the deep sea, diving for trash. But Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director General Jesus Verzosa, an avid diver, made this happen through the Scubasurero project.

“There is a dramatic increase in pollution, particularly in the seas. Because of that, I initiated some environmental advocacies like our project Scubasurero,” says Verzosa, who chose the catchy name Scubasurero from the terms scuba diver and basurero or garbage collector.

“The Scubasurero project is our modest contribution to protecting the natural environment,” he adds.

The Scubasurero program focuses on the clean up of sea beds and shore lines. It also includes lectures on the importance of preserving the environment in a bid to involve the community in coastal clean up and preservation. 

Under the umbrella Pulis Maka-kalikasan (Police Pro-environment) Program, the PNP has conducted Scubasurero activities in Batangas, Bohol, Palawan, Cebu, Misamis Oriental, Subic, Zambales and Tacloban. Most recently, the Scubasurero program was conducted in the PNP Chief’s native town in Dasol, Pangasinan.

“We have included scuba diving since this creates interest not only among Filipinos but also among foreigners. In our tourism industry, we have many tourists who are into scuba diving because of our beautiful marine areas,” Verzosa says.

“Sometimes I get sentimental because I grew up in a coastal area in Dasol, Pangasinan. I spent my first five years where pawikans (sea turtles) just walk around the area. There used to be many shells along the shores. Now there are no more of these sea creatures. This is because there was no control, and there is also illegal fishing. We found during our dives that the corals may still be saved,” Verzosa says of the program’s beginnings.

The PNP chief adds that the target is to conduct one Scubasurero activity every month, with Capiz, Davao and Mindoro in line for this unique clean-up activity.

In implementing the Pulis Maka-kalikasan Program, the police force works closely with the Departments of Environment and Natural Resources, Agriculture, Transportation and Communication; local government units; and non-government organizations in host communities.

“Protecting and cleaning our environment is everyone’s responsibility. As a leader and role model to my subordinates, I made them realize how important the environment is. It provides us with everything, especially elements that are vital to life. Upon realizing this, the policemen and women were motivated to participate in my environmental advocacies,” Verzosa says.

Under the Pulis Maka-kalikasan Project, the PNP also conducts tree-planting, reforestation and clean-up of different selected areas, and waste management activities. This manifests PNP’s support to the government’s environmental and ecological preservation advocacy against global warming.

“As the main law enforcement arm of the national government, the PNP is duty-bound to also help enforce environmental laws, such as those against illegal fishing, illegal logging and the like,” Verzosa says.

But even as policemen immerse in cool waters for the environment, the 125,000-strong PNP still battles with a negative public image. To this, the PNP chief responds: “We have a lot of projects to correct our bad image. We are bringing back the sanctity of our badges.”

Asked about the biggest challenge of his job, the PNP chief says this would definitely be instilling in the hearts and minds of the men and women in uniform the honor and pride carried by the badge.

“This year up to the time I retire in December 2010, my biggest challenge is to bring back the dignity of the policeman. I tell my men and women that when I am already retired, I will be proud that I once wore the uniform. I will be proud to tell anybody that I was once a police officer,” Verzosa says.

Such sentiment and his unwavering dedication to the force comes as a surprise when he reveals that he never dreamt of becoming a policeman.

“I wanted to be an engineer since my elementary years, even up to the time that I graduated high school, because I excel in Math. My father who used to be with the Armed Forces was grooming my younger brother to follow in his footsteps,” Verzosa says.

He wanted to be independent by the time he reached college age, so he took up engineering at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, far from the seaside town of Dasol. The promdi (rural kid) took to student life at the country’s premier university. 

“The problem was the student activism at the time. I was associated with activist groups and up until the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus, we still conducted rallies. I even joined a fraternity then,” Verzosa shares.

“Fortunately or unfortunately, my father came early one morning to my dormitory. I still had wounds from a fraternity rumble, so when my father saw me, I was scolded and told to pack my things. I thought that he would bring me home but he brought me to V. Luna Hospital (the military veterans’ hospital) not to have me treated but for me to start the physical examination for the PMA (Philippine Military Academy). And then everything else followed,” he adds.

But Verzosa says he has no regrets. “I know how to adjust anywhere I am. I tell my officers, no matter how bad your assignment is, you can always do good.”

A graduate of the PMA Magilas Class of 1976, Verzosa has more than three decades of experience in the military and police forces, earning numerous meritorious promotions: from 1st Lieutenant to Captain in 1980 for leading operations against terrorists; from Captain to Major in 1987 for his role in the operations against robbery groups; from Superintendent to Senior Superintendent in 1995 for leading operations against the most wanted persons and the solution of heinous crimes; and from Senior Superintendent to Chief Superintendent in 2002 for his successful operations against kidnap-for-ransom syndicates.

The problems and challenges facing the nation’s top cop are myriad, and sometimes the burdens of office weigh heavily on his slight shoulders. But when he puts on his scuba gear and plunges in to the depths of our seas, Verzosa says he is in a different world, alone with Nature, away from the cares of the cop on patrol, and he is happy to be the PNP’s lead Scubasurero.