Benguet launches tourist policemen lawyer cops cited

By Mar T. Supnad

CAMP BADO DANGWA, Benguet – Provincial police headed by Senior Supt. Benjamin M. Lusad launched Monday the Benguet Mounted Tourist Police in a ceremony with Gov. Nestor Fongwan as guest of honor and speaker.

Supt. Leon Talleo, regional police spokesman said the program was highlighted with the awarding of new Philippine National Police lawyers Maurice C Nabunat Jr., now an inspector and SPO4 Domer B Tadeo.

The two PNP lawyers were awarded with medals by Fongwan and Chief Supt. Villamor Bumanglag, PNP Cordillera director.

Bumanglag congratulated the two new lawyers for passing the bar examination.

He said even though they took them a lot of years to finish their course still they made it and that was because of their perseverance and hard work, saying they made their dreams come true.

The Benguet Tourist Police was subsequently launched pursuant to the provisions of RA 9593, otherwise known as the Tourism Act of 2009 and the Letter of Instructions 56/2010, “Bantay Turista” of the PNP which allows the creation and organization of a Tourism Security Force to assist in maintaining peace and other within areas of high tourism traffic.

Talleo said this was followed with the signing of memorandum of agreement between Benguet police provincial Office and provincial government of Benguet and provincial Environment Forester Guillermo Fianza.

The MOA, according to Talleo, aims to allow parties to coordinate their efforts and resources to provide assistance in accordance with their legal mandate.

Lusad said the project is “one way of sustaining “our natural resources, a noble goal in partnership with the provincial government of Benguet, the Department of Tourism and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.”