It is hard enough to go after hardened criminals and organized crime syndicates, but it is doubly difficult to pursue colleagues in uniform who are accused of perpetrating crimes against the public they are supposed to serve.

This is what PO3 Melchor does, however, and he is one of the best in promoting and actually facilitating the evolution of an even more professional, highly disciplined national police force. In addition to the dayto-day demands of tracking down and neutralizing lawless elements such as robbery and gun-for-hire suspects – at least a couple of whom have been tagged in the murder of local chief executives in two municipalities in Pangasinan among them Agno mayor Arthur Cabantac in 2008– PO3 Melchor also acts with dispatch in investigating complaints against fellow PNP personnel. While he beams with satisfaction for every criminal he is able to put behind bars, he is also proud to have contributed to the weeding out of scalawags and other misfits in the PNP.

On the other hand, he has also been instrumental in the implementation of re-training and other career development courses for eligible and deserving members of the police organization in the province. As part of his effort to make the police accessible to the community, PO3 Melchor initiated the Text 2920 project, which immediately helped generate valuable information on crime incidence on the ground. He also initiated special programs for the youth and for women, the first intended to keep young people away from drugs and other opportunities for juvenile delinquency, and the other to support the empowerment of women through livelihood and other projects.