Woman on top: Police Chief Superintendent Tanigue at the helm

If you ride the MRT or the LRT, you would notice a life-size poster of a woman police, “Aleng Pulis” as she is called in the posters. She is Police Chief Superintendent Yolanda Tanigue, the first female officer of the Philippine National Police with a star rank, equivalent to the military’s brigadier general.

A mother of three, Tanigue is a registered social worker. She was commissioned as a rehabilitation officer at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in the 1970s. She rose through the ranks, attaining the rank of Senior Superintendent (equivalent to the military’s colonel) and Executive Officer for Investigation and Detective Management prior to her appointment as Police Chief Superintendent.

Tanigue is a strong advocate for the protection of women and minors. She led raids of prostitution dens employing minors when she was commander of Task Force Zebra of the Eastern Police District. She was at the forefront in campaigning for a women’s desk in the PNP, resulting in the enactment of Republic Act No. 8551 or the PNP Reform and Reorganization Act that created women’s desks in all police stations and the formulation of a gender sensitivity program for the PNP.

At present, Tanigue heads the all-woman Women and Children Protection Center (WCPC), which serves as the PNP’s “Women’s Desk.”

THE LOBBYiST (TL): How does it feel to be the top woman in the Philippine National Police (PNP)?

Yolanda Tanigue (YT): Well, of course before I was so overwhelmed about this because I cannot imagine being in this position. I have been dreaming of reaching the star. People were saying, “This is the unreachable star na sinasabi mo [that you’ve been sayin], Yolly, because it is impossible for you to end up with that.” Pero ang akin naman [But for me], it will come as a logical step to one’s career growth. What I mean is that dito sa trabaho namin [in our work here], it is not impossible to be promoted to general. Even if you retire as a colonel, you will reach the star; you will be given a star-rank pay. For me, it is just an ordinary direction na ang lahat naman ng kapulisan ay dapat ang direction ay towards that [that every police officer should strive to thread that direction]. Although they said, it’s an impossible dream, for me I realized it. I was promoted.

Sometimes nakakagulat pa rin [it is surprises me]. When I was promoted, mukhang hindi ko pa rin maramdaman (laughing), nandun na pala [the feeling has yet to dawn on me, that the promotion is already here]. And it only adds to the responsibility and protocol for a person in uniform. There’s a different protocol for star-rank official compared to other ranks in the PNP.

TL: The military establishment, including the PNP, is traditionally male-dominated. What prompted you to join a traditionally male-dominated institution?

YT: Well, I think it runs from the blood.

TL: So members of your family are either with the PNP?

YT: Yes. My grandfather was a policeman, and my mom’s brothers are also policemen. They were with the Philippine Constabulary before and now with the PNP.

TL: In your experience, what makes you different from a male general?

YT: Well I can see that the difference is just the physiological aspect. Everything else is the same. Kung ano duty nila, yun din duty ko [Their duties are also my duties]. The only additional task for a woman police officer is that I can interview a child victim and a woman victim of sexual abuse whereas the male personnel are not allowed.

TL: So you think that there are certain roles that only women can do?

YT: Yes

TL: Was there ever a time that you faced some difficulties in the course of your work that is related to your gender? Were you ever stigmatized at work because you’re a woman?

YT: No, I think we faced the same difficulties as those of men. Kasi dito sa PNP, napakahirap talaga makakuha ng position [Here at the PNP, it’s really difficult to get a position]. You really have to prove yourself, and they (the National Police Commission) don’t mind if you’re a man or a woman. The only thing that is favorable with women is that you will be assigned in an office that is managed by female officers like the Women and Children Protection Center. As you can see, there are more female officers assigned here.

TL: Don’t you think that is some form of gender stereotyping; that because you’re a woman, you are assigned the traditional female role?

YT: I agree with that. ‘Di mawawala yan [The stereotyping won’t disappear] because of our culture. I understand it because if I’m also managing the personnel, we have to look for assignments that will fit the person. When we assign people, we always consider what kind of expertise we need for  this kind of job. Let’s say she is very good in investigation, why put her in operation? If he is very good in operation, why put him in investigation? So we always manage the personnel and assign them by expertise, not because the police officer is a woman or a man.

TL: Given that it’s something cultural in us, do you feel that women work doubly hard compared to men to prove themselves?

YT: Women are into multi-tasking. Although we are doing our job in man’s world, we cannot throw away our domestic jobs when we go back home. Pag-uwi sa bahay ‘di naman natin pwedeng pabayaan sa katulong lang yung pag-aasikaso sa mga bata [When we go home, we cannot just leave the rearing of our children to the help]. We have to check if the house is properly managed, if the maid cooked the right food for the children. Women are really working 24 hours, or even more.

TL: Do you think ma’am a woman general is a better strategist than a male general?

YT: Partly yes, because there are some jobs that cannot be done by men. Women in the service have different expertise na talagang pambabae [that’s really innate in women]. Unlike yung trabaho ng kalalakihan, pwede rin naming pag-aralan [We can also study a man’s work]. If you will do it to the fullest, yung talagang pagbubutihin, kaya rin namin [If we really put our focus into it, we can also do the job]. And there are really some jobs that men can do, but the effect is different. Some clients are more receptive to the way women police officers do the job compared to male police officers.

TL: So you’re saying that women….

YT: … can do it better than men, in some aspects.

TL: So you’re debunking the proposition that women often change their minds hence it is dangerous to have women lead the military or the police?

YT: Yes, because in my case, I don’t change my mind. The decision is a complete staff action. Before I decide, I have to consult all of my people. Here at the PNP, we have a support staff that will advise the commander. So I do not make a decision without the recommendation of my staff. So we cannot change this adopted procedure. There should be a complete staff action in order that when you execute a decision, it is a concerted effort of the whole staff. We have the operation; we have the intelligence; we have the investigation. So there is no problem when people say that ang decision ng isang babae ay pabago-bago [woman are fickle-minded]. There is a command decision. And there will be a careful study before we discharge such decision.

TL: Have you been assigned to lead the front of any operation?

YT: Oh yes. When I was a major, a lieutenant, a lieutenant colonel, and a colonel, I go out for operations. We do a manhunt of a person with a warrant of arrest; we do the raids and rescue operations in nightclubs. When I was a chief of police, we conducted operations against illegal logging, against illegal drugs, against prostitution, against illegal gambling. Operations are considered as ordinary jobs of any police officer.

TL: Regardless of being…

YT: … regardless if you’re a woman or a man.

TL: What do think merited your star position? Why do you think they appointed you?

YT: Sabi nga natin [As we said], service reputation is most important. So they will go back to your history because there’s always a service record for a police officer. Starting from the education, training, discipline, and of course you should balance your life. You should totally disengage your life from your family and from the office. Kung nandun ka sa pamilya mo [If you’re with your family], think of your family. But if you are in the office, think of the office. So that’s the best thing that we should do as managers in the PNP.

TL: How is your typical day as a mother and wife? Would it be the same like ordinary mothers and wives? 

YT: ‘Di naman natin masabi na every weekend kasi there are some weekend na habang nagbabakasyon ang publiko we are on red alert, so nasa opisina kami [I cannot say that we’re free every weekend because there are some weekends that while the public is having a vacation, we’re on red alert so we’re in the office]. So the best thing is that anytime of the day when I have free time for my children, I go home and do something for them, so I really want to spend quality time with them anytime of the day and night.

I can say that we are doing an ordinary job in the house. But the only difference is that when I am serving my family, when I am serving my children, when I am serving my husband and my relatives, when I cook food for them, when I wash clothes for them, when I clean the toilet for them, it’s not an ordinary job because the one doing that job is a police general. (Chuckles)

TL: Would you want your daughter to follow your footsteps?

YT: Yes, of course. I’ve been encouraging them but I think no one is interested. (Laughs)

TL: What are your daughters doing at present?

YT: My eldest is a social worker; she is now working with the mental hospital. But she doesn’t want to join the PNP. My second is also a social worker and she also doesn’t want to join the PNP. She attempted to join, kaya lang nakita nya yung hirap talaga [but she saw how difficult it is to join]. There are physical exercises, then the mental and physical fatigue. I’ve been encouraging her to join. But they are telling me that they have experienced to be daughters of a police officer, and ever since they were young, nabibilang lang daw nila yung birthdays nila na I was there [they can readily count the number of birthdays I celebrated with them].

TL: Do they resent your being a police officer?

YT: Hindi naman sama ng loob [It’s not resentment] but something that should not be experienced by ordinary children. Siyempre kapag ang isang bata, nagbi-birthday siya, dapat andoon ako, andoon ang magulang [Of course, for children, when they celebrate their birthdays, I should be there. The parents should be there]. Pero ang nangyayari [But what happens is that] because I am sometimes assigned outside Manila or travels outside the Philippines, talagang ‘di ako maka-attend physically [I cannot by physically present]. But I see to it that I provide them with everything they need. Pero ‘di mo naman mapalitan. Sabi nga natin [But you cannot substitute your presence with their material wants. We have a saying], “You cannot live by bread alone.” Even if you have provided everything, your physical presence is still necessary.

TL: Do male colleagues, while you were still in the lower ranks, ask for your opinions in operations? Do they confide their personal problems to you?

YT: (Chuckles) Yes. They really valued the way I care for them, especially my male counterparts. There was an experience when I was a chief of police; I had some members who were sick. What I did was to send a doctor, to send the nurse, and to send the ambulance to their house and bring them to the hospital. Yun ang pinaka-alaga ko sa kanila [That’s how I take care of them]. And then kapag may mga problema sila, domestic problems [if they have domestic problems], they ask me, “Ma’am paano ba ‘to yung asawa ko may problema, may sakit sya [Ma’am what will I do, my husband has a problem, he is sick].” That’s not a problem to me. I am a medical social worker, so we can send the husband and even the children to the hospital for free. And they say, “Ma’am yung anak ko parang hindi na yata ako effective na counselor sa kanya [Ma’am, I think I’m no longer an effective counselor for my child].” Then I’ll tell them, “Ok bring your child here and I’ll talk to him or to her.” 

So they are always asking for my opinion. I think nalilimutan na nilang senior officer nila ako [they forget that I am their senior officer]. (Chuckles) More than being a senior officer, I’m like an ate [older sister] or a mother to them because I always go back to my being a social worker.

TL: So you’re not much of a stickler to the hierarchy?

YT: You know discipline is always there. Respect is always there, if you treat your people properly. I also respect my people. And even the janitor, even the utility personnel, I still talk to them. In some way, minsan natatakot sila kala nila ganun kataas ang heneral [sometimes they’re still afraid of me because I’m a general]. I said “No, I’m still a human being. I can still feel for you.”

TL: Now that you are a general, do colleagues still share their personal problems?

YT: Yes I’m still doing that. I’m telling them, “Uy ang pangit ng buhok mo, halika suklayin natin [Your hair is a mess. Let’s comb it].” (Laughs)

TL: Do you see a woman as Chief PNP in the future?

YT: Yes. I always think of it. I always dream of that. And I am always telling other women police officers that maybe ten years, twenty years from now, there will be police lady chief PNP. And I will be very happy for that. Kasi nakikita ko naman yung mga kababaihan natin ngayon, itong mga batang officers na grumagraduate at pumapasok sa service, nakita ko naman talaga when I was promoted to a general’s rank, nakita kong nagniningning ang mga mata nila na parang nakakita sila ng pag-asa na “si ma’am kung na-promote, kami rin. We still have the chance. [I saw the younger women police officers who enter the service, when they saw I was promoted to star-rank, their eyes were glistening and they were hopeful that if I was promoted, they also have a chance].” And there are officers telling me, “Ma’am kung di ka na-promote sana nag-resign na ako [I would have resigned were you not promoted]. But because you were promoted to general, I think we have a chance.”

TL: Do you think you still have a shot to be the Chief PNP?

YT: (Laughing) It’s up to the PNP hierarchy (to decide on that). It’s a command decision. It’s not in my hands.

TL: Do you still find time to relax?

YT: Of course. One way is nananahi ako [I sew]. I make my own clothes. I do some RTW (ready-to-wear). I make some curtains, pillow cases, yun ang parang therapy sa’kin [that’s my therapy]. (Chuckles) I’m also relaxed when I am with my children, cooking food for them and telling stories to them.

Kung wala naman sila [If they are not in the house] because they are already grown up, I stay in the house. My favorite place is my bed. Miss na miss ko ang bed ko [I really miss my bed]. (Chuckles) Kasi minsan ang hirap ng matulog; maghapon ka ng nagtrabaho [It’s sometimes difficult to sleep, especially after a long day at work]. I attend meetings the whole day, seminar-workshops, conferences, and then at 5:00 pm, magpipirma pa ko [I sign documents] to be dispatched the next day.

I also sometimes read books. Pero yung mga book na I can get something, parang pointers [But I read books that I can get some pointers]. Let’s say a book on how to become a good leader, what are the things that should be done by a good leader, and what are some of the blunders. Or a book on how to manage money, on how to become rich, or on how to become a millionaire. (Laughing) I read not only for myself, but since I’m always talking to different people with different expertise, I should read more so that I can relate.

I also read about feng shui. (Laughing) Parang naaliw ako [I’m amused by it].

TL: How do you maintain your tiptop shape?

YT: I don’t really need to run so much. Imagine, when I was assigned before to the 4th floor, I have to go up, maybe five times from the ground floor to 4th floor using the stairs. Pag tinawag ako ng boss ko minsan [Sometimes when my boss asked me to see him upstairs] “Oh my God! Sir, I think this is the fifth time you’re asking me to see you.” (Laughing) That’s already an exercise for me. Now that I’m here, I go around. Ang office ko ngayon malaki rin [My office is very huge]: I go to the guard; I go to the playground; I go to the shelter. I just walk if I go to different offices.

And I drive. My security is with me but I said that I will be the driver and he just stays there. With driving alone, you can maintain your stamina because you can practice your peripheral vision, your alertness.

TL: Do you engage in any sports?

YT: Well, sometimes I want to play golf. Sometimes I want to play badminton or go to they gym. But I cannot find the time because being an officer like me, when I sit down and attend to my papers that takes hours and then when I look up, it’s already night time. Where could I go? (Chuckles)

TL: How do you see yourself ten years from now?

YT: Ten years from now, I can see myself working with the United Nations. With my job now as the focal person when it comes to human trafficking, gender issues, protecting women and children, they are international issues. This is everybody’s concern. So ang nakikita ko, tuloy-tuloy pa rin [As I see it, our work here will continue], much more than what I do now because here, my job is limited. But after retirement, I can go on. No matter what, I can still serve humanity in any place in the world. I have been going around the world because women and children issues are not only in the Philippines. So I have been invited by the United Nations to share what we have done here in the Philippines because they see the work we have done here in protecting our women and children. They see that we are successful because we have this kind of shelter; we have this kind of services. Actually the Indonesian police, they replicated the way we established our Women and Children Protection Center. So meron na rin silang ganito [they have a similar Center there]. And they are very proud to tell the world that they have copied the Philippine way of protecting women and children. And also in Japan, they have conducted a research in the Philippines on how they will pass the law on the protection of their children. The way I see it, we can serve anyone. In my case, parang ang gusto kong makita na [I want to see that] I will be serving through an international arm in protecting our women and children. 

TL: So many laws and policies have been put in place in protecting women and children. What do you think are the steps that we still need to do to further protect them?

YT: We need more advocacies on this issue. Because even some of the police officers who are new in the service, they don’t know about this. So let’s have continuous training, continuous information dissemination on what protection of women and children is all about. We have to inform everyone. There should be a very good mechanism to incorporate these issues in the PNP’s basic training. Schools are very good instruments to disseminate our issues, especially to young people. Protection of women and children should be incorporated in our curricula.

TL: Who’s your life’s hero?

YT: Well, of course I always consider Melchora Aquino or Tandang Sora as my hero. Since I was young, I always have a picture of Melchora Aquino in my notebook and I have read all about her. And that is how I realized, “Yung nangangailang ng tulong ang dapat tulungan [We should help those who are in need of help].” I can say na itong si Melchora Aquino talagang natulungan nya yung mga nasugatang mga sundalo, mga katipunero [Melchora Aquino really helped wounded revolutionaries], even under the mango tree. So the services of a police officer, you can do that anywhere. Kahit sa ilalim ng puno ng mangga, kahit sa ilalim ng puno ng saging, nagagawa natin yun [Whether you’re under a mango tree or a banana tree, you can still serve].

And of course, I consider my mom as my life’s hero. She took good care of me and my other siblings. Hindi siya nagdalawang isip na ipadala kami sa school [She didn’t hesitated to send us all to school]. We’re nine in the family, at naigapang nya kami [she sacrificed so much for us]. Walang nabalian sa amin, walang naaksidente [Nobody got hurt, and nobody was involved in any accident]. For a mother to take good care of her children, she is the unsung hero of our lives. Ang sabi pa nya, “Ang sakripisyo ng isang ina nagsisimula habang nasa loob pa ng tyan ang bata. Andito ka pa sa sinapupunan ko, may pangalan ka na [My mother told me, “A mother’s sacrifice starts when a child is conceived in her womb. While you were still in my womb, you already have a name].”

TL: What are the lessons you’ve learned in your life?

YT: Number one is the importance of education. When I started my education, I went to school and enrolled myself. I do not have somebody with me from home. I asked helped from our neighbor. Since my mom is a public teacher, she is always transferred to different places, so I have to enroll in different schools. The lesson I got from that experience is that we can acquire good education even in public schools and even in remote places. It only depends on the person’s ability, dedication, and discipline. Ang ibig kong sabihin [My point is], it’s all up to us. So kahit yung mga anak natin ay pinapadala natin sa magandang schools [Even if we send our children to very good schools], if they are not interested in education, walang mangyayari [nothing will happen].

I always remind the parents to take good care of their children. Sabi ng iba, “Ma’am walang-wala talaga kami [Some will say, “Ma’am, we have nothing in life”].” Hindi yun ang katuwiran [That is not the proper reasoning]. If you really love your children and you are giving them the right direction, makakapagpalaki tayo ng batang maayos [we can rear a very good child]. In my formative years, my parents were always busy. I grew up with my aunt and uncle, and with my grandparents. So nakita ko naman ang direction ko noon [I saw where I was going back then], and the importance of discipline in the family. I experienced corporal punishments at home. Napapalo ako, napapaluhod ako, lahat ng parusa naranasan ko [I was spanked, I was made to kneel, I experienced so many punishments as a child]. Yun ang pundasyon ko para maging matatag [Those were my foundations that made me stronger].

I told my children, I always tell them, “I could not remember my birthday because I never celebrated my birthday in my life.” Because when I was young, talagang wala ring time ang magulang ko [my parents have no time to spare] and we cannot afford to celebrate. So I did some small things just for mama to remember that it’s my birthday; I send something to her, like “Thank you Mama for giving me life.” So that’s how I do it, even now. That’s why I’m telling my children now, “Do not be mad to your parents like ‘Ma it’s my birthday, you should give me something’.” It should not be that way. For me, my birthday is really the day I remember to say, “Thank you Mama, you have given me a beautiful life to see the beautiful world and to experience this kind of beautiful career.” Yun ang gusto kong ipaalam lalo na sa ating mga kabataan [That’s what I want our young people to know].

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