Rookie cops donate blood in honor of colleagues killed in Marawi

MAGUINDANAO -- More than 200 new police officers donated blood on Wednesday in honor of their colleagues killed and injured during the five-month conflict in Marawi City.The bloodletting activity of the Maguindanao provincial police was also to reaffirm the dedication of the rookies to community service after their symbolic swearing to work for state with an initial Police Officer 1 rank.Senior Superintendent Agustin Tello of the Maguindanao provincial police on Wednesday said all of their neophyte personnel currently undergoing initial field orientation in 36 municipal police offices in the province donated blood.The activity, jointly organized by Superintendent Jibin Bongcayao, Chief Inspector Barlowe Espiga and P03 Julbari Sehani, Jr., was supervised by local volunteers from the Philippine National Red Cross.Tello said the blood donors belong to the latest batch of trainees drafted into the ranks of the Police Regional Office-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The activity was partly aimed at giving honor to members of PRO-ARMM who were killed and injured during the government’s five-month pacification in Marawi City, Tello said.Six personnel of PRO-ARMM were killed while 61 others were wounded in clashes with Maute and Abu Sayyaf terrorists who displayed the Islamic State flag in Marawi City on May 23, sparking hostilities that lasted until October 23.Tello said it is up to the PNRC chapter in Cotabato City to disperse the plasma collected from the donors. We are making our new personnel realize that their work is not all about protecting the public but a career full of charity works. Bloodletting and organizing peaceful communities of Muslims, Christians and Lumads are among these charitable missions, Tello said.The PNRC team that facilitated Wednesday’s bloodletting at the Maguindanao provincial police office in Shariff Aguak town was led by medical technologist Ansari Lucas.