P’sinan cops give toys, candies to nip children’s trauma

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

POZURRUBIO  - Edna (not her real name) was  recently slapped on the face, punched on the thigh, and kicked on the buttocks by her husband Arman.

TOYS. Mr Ibarra Ebreo donates a stuffed toy in support of
Police Chief Inspector Ryan Manongdo, chief of police
of Pozurubbio, Pangasinan, project Papa Bear
where children caught in social conflict are given
candies and toys to assuage their trauma. 

When the policemen answered the call of Edna who reported to them the physical and verbal abuses of her husband that started since 2010, a policewoman gave stuffed toys and lollipops to her minor children while her companions prepare to file Republic Act No. 9262 or known as Violence against Women and their Children.

Chief Inspector Ryan Manongdo, this town’s chief of police, said the gesture of the lady cop is part of his brain child Papa Bear.

“To alleviate the morale and minimize the trauma of the children after they witnessed their mother being physically abused by their father,” he stressed to this paper.

Manongdo, a member of the Philippine National Police Academy’s Class of 2005, said his office now is accepting donations such as toys, books, candies , and others that are worthy for the children.

“Friends, please support Pozorrubio PS' Project PAPA BEAR. Thanks to Pozorrubio MSWD (Municipal Social Welfare & Development) for donating dolls for this cause. Hope many will follow! God bless!’ the decorated chief of police, a Special Action Force, posted on his social media’s Face Book’s account.

 The other donors, according to Manongdo, were a “Good Samaritan” woman who dropped by at the desk of Police Officer -1 Gerry Quijarro and gave him a lion stuff toy. The MSWD here gave 20 colouring books, 10 story books and six packs of candies and lollipops, and Mr. Ibarra Ebreo donated a Barney and Tweety stuff toys.

“She (Good Samaritan) decided to give when she read the brochure "1st Quarter Report on Peace and Order" which is part of the Project "BANDO" highlighting the stations plans and programs, accomplishments and initiatives,” Manongdo described the brochure, a coloured bar and graphs illustrated four pages pamphlet would be disseminated to the public every quarter of the year.

He said his office taps the traditional media, the internet, and words of mouth to promote “BANDO” and Papa Bear to improve the police work and uplift the trust of the people to the Philippine National Police.

"BANDO (means) to maximize all available medium of information to inform the public on the station's accomplishments, plans, programs and initiative to improve the public's perception of the Pozorrubio’s PNP,” he explained.

The chief of police said that he plans to equip the station’s motorcycle with two compartments at the back so it can carry stuff toys and candies for the children caught in the social conflict.

Although Papa Bear probably was pioneered here, dole outs to children to calm them are not new to the Americans.

 In the movie Zero Dark Thirty, the U.S Navy SEAL Team-6 who raided the third floor of the house of then No. 1 terrorist Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan were seen giving candies and illuminating sticks that one sees at fair to assuage the terrified children there when shock troops landed in the middle of the night from two stealth Apache helicopters near their residence aided by night vision goggle who started shooting in pitch darkness the terrorists.