1. Who are the organizers of the Search?

1. The COPS is a joint undertaking of the Rotary Club of New Manila East and the Metrobank Foundation. In 1999 the Metrobank Foundation set-up an endowment fund of Ten Million Pesos specifically for the recognition of outstanding policemen. Using the technology and experience it has gained in the conduct of the Search for Outstanding Teachers, the Foundation ensures objectivity in the evaluation of the nominees to the competition.

2. The Rotary Club of New Manila East on the other hand has been conducting the Best Community Oriented Policemen (C.O.P.) since 1998. The Best C.O.P. was in recognition of the vocational and community service component of police work for the quest of peace and order over that of the punitive aspect. It sought to highlight the efforts of the police in addressing social deprivation as the source of criminality.

3. COPS has recognized over 40 policemen and women since the competition started in 2003. The Search supports the “ONE PNP” program of the Philippine National Police, with emphasis on the Neighborhood Participation Thrust.

2. What are the Objectives of the Competition?

1. The C.O.P.S. seeks to highlight the cooperative efforts between the police and the community in safeguarding the peace and order in the community. It seeks to highlight the importance of the police fostering a cooperative effort between them and the community.

2. Thus we are looking for policemen who have actively solicited, mobilized, involved and organized the community to become fellow vanguards of the community.

3. What is the coverage of the competition?

1. The competition is a career achievement award. This means that the entire career contribution of the nominee is evaluated.

2. However, only seven of the most important cases and seven community mobilization projects/activities will be requested to be documented for ease of evaluation and comparison.

3. It should be emphasized that the nominee must be able to show how he/she utilized, mobilized, or empowered the community or individual members of the community in order to achieve his/her objective.

4. Who can join?

1. The competition is open to all policemen who have been in the service for at least seven years.

2. For the Commissioned Officers category, nominees should have the rank of Inspector to Superintendent at the time of the submission of the nomination form and documents. If the nominee is previously a Non-Commissioned Officer promoted to a Commissioned Officer, he/she should have served as a Commissioned Officer for at least two (2) years. Moreover, a nominee with a rank of Superintendent shall not have been promoted to the rank of Senior Superintendent until after the Final Judging Phase, which will be sometime in June 2007.

3. For the Non-Commissioned Officers category, nominees should have the rank of PO1 to SPO4 at the time of the submission of the nomination form and documents. The nominee shall not have been promoted to a rank of a Commissioned Officer until after the Final Judging Phase, which will be sometime in June 2007.

4. The nominee must be of good moral character.
5. The nominee must not have been adjudged guilty/liable in any administrative or criminal case.
6. The nominee must not have been charged under a criminal information pending in court or must not have pending administrative charge given due course by any government administrative body.
7. Those who have been Finalists of the competition two (2) consecutive times shall be requested to have a rest year before becoming eligible to join again. If the nominee has been a finalist three (3) times, he/she shall be requested to rest for two (2) years before he/she becomes eligible to join again.
8. Nominees need not be Rotary Club members nor depositors of Metrobank in order to join.

5. Who can win?

1. A maximum of four (4) Commissioned Officers and six (6) non-Commissioned Officers may be declared as winners of the competition.
2. The Final Board of Judges has the option not to award the allocation in any of the categories in order to maintain the quality and integrity of the competition.
3. Each awardee will be receiving a cash prize of P 200,000 and a trophy courtesy of the Metrobank Foundation.
4. Non-winning finalists will receive a P 20,000 financial incentive and a certificate courtesy of the Metrobank Foundation.

6. Who can nominate?

1. Any following could nominate to the competition:
   • Direct supervisor in the PNP
   • PNP Regional Director
   • City/Municipal Mayor
   • Provincial Governor
   • Rotary Club
   • NGO, Church organizations, etc.
   • TV/Radio station manager (at most one nominee for each category)
2. The immediate supervisor of the nominee should either be the nominator or endorser
3. Nominees must be endorsed by a Rotary Club and any one of those listed above.

7. How can one join?

1. Nomination forms are available in all police stations through the Philippine National Police. In the event that the PNP station has run out of nomination forms, the nominator or the nominee can get a copy at the nearest Metrobank branch or Rotary Club. The forms can also be downloaded at the Metrobank Foundation website: http://www.mbfoundation.org.ph or at the Philippine National Police website: http://www.pnp.gov.ph. The nomination form should be filled out completely by the nominee. No items should be left blank. The nominee should then secure the signature of his/her nominator.

2. The nomination form should be filled out completely by the nominee. No items should be left blank. The nominee should then secure the signature of his/her nominator.

3. The accomplished nomination form with the latest 2x2 photo and the supporting documents should be submitted to any of the following in seven (7) copies in separate folders on or before December 4, 2006 (Extended to January, 30, 2007):

   1. Metrobank Foundation office, 15th floor Metrobank Plaza Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City

   2. nearest Metrobank Branch

   3. nearest RCNME-accredited Rotary Chapter

   4. PNP Directorate for Police Community Relations, Camp Crame, Quezon City.

4. All required supporting documents reproduced in long bond paper (8” x 13”) should be attached to each set of the accomplished nomination form. The required supporting documents are indicated at the back of the nomination form.

8. What clearances are required?

1. The nominee should secure clearances from the National Bureau of Investigation, Office of the Commission on Human Rights and Office of the Ombudsman.

2. The nominee needs to submit only one copy of all the clearances. The deadline for the submission of the clearances is on January 15, 2006 (Extended to February 16, 2007)directly to the Metrobank Foundation office.

9. Can a retired policeman join? Can one nominate dead policemen?
No. The competition seeks to raise models of excellence within the police force which other policemen and women could emulate. The organizers also seek to restore public confidence back to the PNP force. As such, the organizers are looking for policemen who are still active in the service who could serve as examples within the police force.

10. What if the winner, after the awarding, committed acts in violation of the law and constitution?

Winners should continue to be active and serve as a model officer even after winning the competition. If in case after being awarded, the police institution would deem that the awardee would prove unworthy as a model of excellence, his/her name would be removed from the roster of awardees.