Three graduates of the Development Academy of the Philippines’ masteral program – Lt. Col. Wilfredo Baylon Manalang Jr. of the Philippine Navy Marine Corps, Lt. Col. Eliglen Ferrer Villaflor of the Philippine Army and Police Senior Superintendent Susan Rabano-Jalla of the Philippine National Police – were named as winners in the search for The Outstanding Philippine Soldiers (TOPS) and the Country’s Outstanding Police Officers in Service (COPS) by the Metrobank Foundation to join the elite roster of Outstanding Filipinos that were honored for their significant contribution and dedication to their chosen profession.
Manalang and Villaflor are both graduates of the Academy’s Graduate School of Public and Development Management (GSPDM) in 2013 while Jalla graduated at the GSPDM in 1999. Manalang earned a degree in Master in Public Management, Major in International Development and Security, while Villaflor completed a degree in Master in Public Management, Major in Development and Security, and Jalla completed a degree in Master in Public Management.
27 other awardees
They joined 27 other awardees who emerged from Metrobank Foundation’s search not only for outstanding soldiers and police officers but also for the Search for Outstanding Teachers (SOT). Collectively, they are called the Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos. Each of them received a cash prize of P500,000, a trophy and a gold medallion, which they received in ceremonies held during Metrobank’s 54th anniversary celebration at the Metrobank Plaza Auditorium in Makati City last September.
Manalang, Villaflor and Jalla were also feted during the DAP-GSPDM 2016 Academic Fellowship that gathered the graduate school’s alumni at the DAP Conference Center in Tagaytay City last October 15.
Manalang, who considers combat and operations as opportunities to inspire his troops and reach out to his countrymen, developed strategies to help resolve conflict in Mindanao with his expertise in intelligence security and combat. In 2000, he was instrumental in taking three Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) main camps by leading the clearing operations along Narciso Ramos Highway, a stretch known as ground for rebel checkpoints.
The 27-year military veteran also helped win back the trust of the people and strengthened civil-military engagements in Maguindanao and Sulu by engaging in outreach programs such as conducting sports clinics, undertaking feeding programs for the youth, and initiating the construction of comfort rooms and school buildings. He also facilitated “Operation Balik Ngiti” in 2014 that helped 44 children with cleft lip and palate.
Numerous Gold Cross Medals
Manalang has received numerous Gold Cross Medal awards for his gallantry in action while serving as commanding officer of the 20th Marine Company and Marine Battalion Landing Team 10 during the conduct of offensive operations in areas where he has been assigned.
Villaflor, on the other hand, helped the Special Forces School in Nueva Ecija become the “show window” of the Philippine Army whenever it hosted foreign armed visitors for bilateral and multilateral exercises through his innovative ways. These innovations included his realignment of the school’s teaching loads as its commandant, earning for himself the Distinguished Service Star for his accomplishments. He also developed the Military Free Fall Course that was adopted as a regular specialized training exercise for Special Operations Forces.
As a United Nations peacekeeper, he successfully negotiated the release of civilians abducted by Syrian rebels in the Golan Heights. He also led the 4th Special Forces Battalion in retaking and recovering encampments and firearms in operations against the local rebel group Abu Sayyaf.
27-year veteran
But Villaflor, also a 27-year military veteran who lost his father at the age of seven and had to scavenge for scrap metal to help his mother make ends meet, has tried to achieve peace by working together with communities, bringing stakeholders together for the Children of War program and training soldiers and parents to address cases of child trauma. He also conceptualized the acclaimed Brigada Masjid project that aimed to bridge religious divides by involving Christians in the celebration of the Ramadan while turning a Moro National Liberation Front camp into a school for hundreds of young stu dents. He earned two Gawad sa Kaunlaran medals for such civic work.
Jalla, meanwhile, is credited with institutionalizing best practices for Scene of the Crime Operations or SOCO. The chief of the PNP crime laboratory, Jalla is determined to give back to the community as a way of contributing to its improvement.
“I’ll be giving back to the community. Hindi naman pwede na tumanggap ka lang (it’s not right just to accept things),” Jalla said. “Working with the community, ito talaga ang thrust namin (our thrust really is to work with the community).”
Jalla, who has been with the PNP crime laboratory for 10 years, has helped move her unit to the forefront of criminal investigation with its reliable forensic examinations having served as basis for identifying offenders and a key to conviction in court. Her Action Plan and Project that she used as thesis equivalent in her MPM at the Academy helped develop the capability of Crime Lab personnel as it advocated the certification of forensic examiners, focusing on their standardization and qualification before being certified.
Jalla also improved systems in the administration of personnel and records management while being the administrative officer of the PNP’s Directorate for Personnel and Records Management and helped develop a manual on counter-insurgency operations as chief of he agency’s Information Operation Research Center.