MAMANG PULIS -- TAKING his cue from Philippine National Police chief, Director General Nicanor A. Bartolome, new Police Regional Office 2 director, Chief Supt. Rodrigo P. de Gracia yesterday vowed to push reforms in the Cagayan Valley police and transform the region into an area conducive to both local and foreign investments.

A lawyer-member of Philippine Military Academy Class 1982 who briefly became a PNP spokesman in 2001, De Gracia is no stranger to Cagayan Valley.

Fresh from his stint as chief of the San Juan City Police Station, De Gracia made history when he became the first Cagayano -- he being a native of Sta. Teresita town -- to become the director of the Cagayan Police Provincial Office.

De Gracia thanked President Aquino and Gen. Bartolome and his command group for their trust and confidence on him as well as other local government officials who endorsed his appointment as Cagayan Valley police director. He also publicly thanked his wife Jocelyn for her all-out support.

De Gracia had his first tour of duty in Cagayan Valley as a Constabulary 2nd Lieutenant in July 1985. He remembered the late Col. Tirso Gador, then the Cagayan Constabulary commander as having been instrumental in pulling him out from the PC Special Action Force despite the policy restricting the transfer of trained Rangers, Airborne Paratroopers and commandos from the force.

He described the first chapter of his career in the region as the “Fearless Warrior Career” as that was the time when the New People’s Army was attacking troops from all over the region, regularly killing soldiers and policemen, burning buildings and equipment, conducting ambuscades, raids, kidnappings and other human rights abuses and any other modes to inflict casualties on government forces.

It was him who was tasked to organize the Cagayan Provincial Reaction Force composed of 101 PC and Integrated National Police personnel who all underwent massive training under his supervision.

With the help of his mentors, De Gracia turned the Cagayan Provincial Reaction Force into a formidable unit that instilled fear on their enemies, suffering no casualties in seven major encounters they had.

Last week, he replaced the newly-retired bemedalled Chief Supt. Francisco Jose Villaroman of PMA Class 1979 as PRO2 director.