(Bugle Call, 2009)
On May 2, 1985, one hundred forty of them stood at grim attention, watching in extolled fashion the men in uniform before them. They stood in front of the grandstand at Camp Vicente Lim, Calamba, Laguna, and were presented to Police Brigadier General Carlos C. Javier. One hundred forty of them were apprehensive civilians coming from the most-populated to the remotest regions of the Republic ready for the Reception Rites. They did not realize it would be a rite of passage in the Philippine National Police Academy.
That day, they first “tasted” the piercing screams of Reception Day—ego-shattering, nerve-wracking, and laced with an unrelenting intensity. The upperclassmen shrieked and bawled at them, ordering them to crawl, roll, and spin on the bladed grass, all amidst the applause of the viewing crowd.
Their days as plebes became their “melting pot,” as they were rigorously trained in the fundamentals of rifle drills, cadet marching, and striking their feet in cadence for parade and review. Their blistered hands and feet, along with their sweat-drenched uniforms, were telltale signs of countless hours of practice from dawn until sunset.
During their cadetship, rallies and strikes were common occurrences, necessitating their training in Crowd Dispersal Control. Their first real test came on September 21, 1985, in the streets of Mendiola. Later, on January 6, 1986, they performed their first combined parade as officers and elements in the Year of the Tiger.
As graduation neared, apprehension and nostalgia gripped them. The day when they would formally say “goodbye”. Standing in their unsullied gala uniforms, they truly cherished the final moments of their cadetship.
The TAGAPAGLINGKOD Class of 1987 had 95 graduates and produced 20 star-rank officers across the tri-bureau, with 78 original members still living.
Source:
PNPAAAI Records
Philippine National Police Academy
