DAVAO CITY —- You are never forgotten, this best described the gesture of Philippine National Police 12 (PNP-12) provincial director BrigGen. Alexander Tagum when he visited today his retired subordinate at his residence in the town of Mlang, North Cotabato.
Tagum visited retired SPMS Rick Magsipoc Untalan at his residence to personally give recognition and express his gratitude five years after the violent dispersal in Kidapawan City, Cotabato province which left a farmer dead and dozens wounded while two police officers were wound , one of them was Untalan..
It can be recalled that on April 1, 2016, a peaceful rally turned violent as protesters accused government authorities of firing their guns while police authorities said the later first pummeled the policemen which their wooden batons crossed the police line.
In the April 1, 2016 report, the PNP only revealed “Two PNP officers were in critical condition with head trauma following a clash with the protesters.”
On Thursday, Tagum revealed one of the two as Untalan.
In his Facebook post, Tagum said “Rick (Untalan) was injured in the rally dispersal of the protesters barricading the national highway” he added “Since the incident, Rick was not able to fully recover and had learned to manage his daily routine with a wheelchair.”
In the PNP -12 Facebook post it says the visit”Marked a memorable, morale-boosting visit and recognition by PBGen. Alexander Tagum to the injured policemen—just another great way of showing compassion and respect to the dignity of his men by a respected official and a team leader.
Tagum was accompanied by the other PNP officers in the region during the visit.
