LOON AUXILIARY POLICE FORCE. Loon Mayor Lloyd Peter M. Lopez, MD. and Vice Mayor Edwin R. Ladeza (fifth and sixth from left respectively) congratulate a new member of the Loon Auxiliary Police Force during the graduation ceremony on April 24, 2009 held a the Hayahay Hall, Municipal Annex Building.Also in picture are from left Loon SB Kagawad Ricky U. Masamayor, Chairman of the Committee on Peace and Order, P/SSupt Louie M. Oppus, head of the Operations and Planning Division of PNP Region VII, who confirmed the graduation of the new auxiliary police force members, master of ceremony P02 Exequiel Molina, and Loon PNP Chief of Police P/Insp Perigrino T. Carlon. Lower photo shows the eight newly-confirmed members of the Loon Auxiliary Police Force being presented to the 67 barangay captains of Loon. (Photos by A. Saligumba)

The Municipality of Loon facilitated the training of the pioneering batch of eight graduates of its Auxiliary Police Force that will augment and assist local PNP authorities in maintaining peace and order in the town.

Loon Mayor Lloyd Peter M. Lopez, MD and Vice Mayor Edwin R. Ladeza led local officials during the culmination program and presentation of the new Auxiliary Police Force members to the 67 barangay captains of Loon during the monthly meeting of the Liga ng mga Barangay held on April 24, 2009 at the Hayahay Hall of the Municipal Hall Annex Building. 

Invited to grace the presentation ceremony was P/SSupt Louie M. Oppus, former chief of the Tagbilaran City Police Office, now presently the head of the Operations and Planning Division of PNP Region VII.

Also in attendance were SB Kagawad Ricky U. Masamayor, chairman of the SB committee on peace and order, who, as a personal friend, extended the invitation to P/SSupt Oppus to grace the activity; Loon PNP chief of police P/Insp Perigrino T. Carlon, Loon ABC president Cesar R. Pedrigal and SB Kagawad Narciso “Eveready” Neri.

The creation of Loon’s Auxiliary Police Force is embodied through Municipal Ordinance No. 08-005 which confirms the legality of its existence. The training, conducted under the auspices of the Office of the Mayor and the Sangguniang Bayan, was facilitated by the DILG through MLGOO Josie M. Montes in coordination with the Loon PNP. It was held for four days from April 20–23, 2009 at the Hayahay Hall, MunicipalHallAnnexBuilding.

Resource speakers in the 4-day training included P/Insp Perigrino T. Carlon, Dr. Asteria Estoreon of CARHRIHL, SB Secretary Fidelino P. Coritico, Rhoniel Joseph Adaptar of the LTO, POL Community Relations Officer P/CInsp Uldarico Palgan, Retired PA Lt. Narciso Tabañag, and Tagbilaran-based martial arts instructors Kenneth Jester de la Serna, Rolando de la Serna and Felipe Melencion.

Confirmed as the 8 pioneering batch of the Loon Auxiliary Police Force are Edson M. Cabanag of Lintuan, Loon, Bohol; Retsel M. Cayag, Lintuan, Bohol; Romulo T. Enriquez, Cogon Norte, Loon, Bohol; Glenn S. Salomon, Cogon Norte, Loon, Bohol; Jonelon D. Seranillo, Napo, Loon, Bohol; Dominador L. Manuel, Jr., Napo, Loon, Bohol; Selvino P. Tello, Jr., Basac, Loon, Bohol and Mario L. Magason of Moto Norte, Loon, Bohol.

The members of the Loon Auxiliary Police Force are expected to augment the local PNP during patrol operations, cooperate with barangay officials, barangay tanods, and the local PNP personnel on peace and order concerns, enforce the law in the absence of regular PNP personnel,  and assist in search and rescue operations in times of emergency and calamity.     

Most of the auxiliary police force graduates are former tanods in their respective barangays. They have to resign from their previous position due to double compensation.
        In his message, Mayor Lopez said that the local government unit initially desired to have the maximum number of 24 auxiliary policed force personnel, but this could not be realized due to budgetary constraints. He also revealed that Loon is the second municipality in the province of Bohol to create an auxiliary police force after Bilar. The only difference is that Loon is the first town to pass and approve a municipal ordinance enacted for this purpose. Loon’s youthful and dynamic chief executive exhorted the new auxiliary police force members not to abuse their authority and serve as models of morally upright law enforcers.