Operationally competent. Administratively disciplined. Politically mature”
THERE are friendships forged by blood, and there are those forged by time, trust, shared battles, and unwavering loyalty.
My relationship with Gen. Reynaldo V. Velasco, who turns 77 today, belongs to the latter.
We are not blood relatives, yet through nearly four decades of working together in various chapters of public service and advocacy, we have bonded like real brothers.
Ours was a relationship built not merely by professional collaboration, but by mutual respect, shared convictions, and a common belief that service to country must always rise above personal ambition.
I first worked with Gen. Rey Velasco when he became Police Regional Director of Region 1.
From there, our paths continued to intersect throughout some of the most defining moments in Philippine law enforcement and public governance.
At Camp Crame, I witnessed his rise through critical assignments—as PNP Comptroller, NCRPO chief, head of the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime (PCTC), and later Deputy Chief for Administration (DCA).
In every post, he demonstrated what many in uniform quietly acknowledged: he was among the most well-rounded police officers of his generation who emerged on top of his assignments.
Operationally competent. Administratively disciplined. Politically mature.
Grounded in field realities yet capable of institutional leadership. Many believed he was primed to become Chief of the Philippine National Police.
But as often happens in Philippine public life, politics intervened.
Still, titles alone do not define a man’s legacy. Gen. Velasco’s career was marked by significant moments that reflected courage, professionalism, and commitment to duty.
Among them was the successful rescue of kidnapped Italian priest Father Luciano Benedetti Perrentioni during one of the country’s most volatile periods of insurgency and criminality.
He also played key roles in high-risk operations, including the neutralization of notorious terrorist commander Abu Solaiman Marohombsar, demonstrating both tactical leadership and operational resolve. He also proved his mettle when he successfully handled the official visit of US President George W. Bush in 2002.
Yet beyond anti-crime operations and his reputation as institution builder and professional officer, he also became a strong advocate for police welfare and retirees’ benefits—causes often overlooked in discussions about law enforcement leadership.
He understood that institutions are only as strong as the people who serve within them, and that those who dedicate their lives to public safety deserve dignity and support long after retirement.
His story is likewise intertwined with pivotal moments in Philippine democracy itself.
Unknown to many, Gen. Velasco served as long time aide-de-camp of FVR and the first Special Action Force (SAF) commander and he stood among those who answered the call during both the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution and EDSA Dos in 2001—moments when the nation’s future hung in the balance.
Years later, our paths converged again through a shared passion for history and legacy-building. In 2012, we teamed up for the landmark book Silver Linings: 25 Years of the 1986 People Power Revolution, which we co-authored with former SILG Secretary Rafael Alunan III.
The book sought to revisit EDSA not merely as a political event, but as a continuing national journey filled with lessons on democracy, leadership, reform, and resilience.
Working on Silver Linings revealed another side of Gen. Velasco: the reflective patriot who believed history must be preserved not for nostalgia, but for guidance.
Like his mentor and former commander, Gen. Fidel V. Ramos, he believed that patriotism sometimes demands moral courage beyond institutional loyalty. His close affinity not only with FVR but also with former Defense Secretary Renato de Villa reflected the trust placed in him by some of the country’s most respected statesmen and soldier-leaders.
Those relationships were not accidental. They were earned through years of loyalty, competence, and integrity.
Even after active police service, Gen. Velasco continued to serve the country in various capacities.
Today, he remains active as Chairman of the Filipino Veterans Foundation (Filvets) and as Director of Veterans Bank continuing his lifelong advocacy for veterans, uniformed personnel, and national development. In 2007, our partnership entered another chapter when I handled his mayoralty campaign in Santa Barbara, Pangasinan. Against the odds, he won and served as mayor for one term.
It was a different battlefield from Camp Crame—less about command and more about grassroots governance, public trust, and local development.
Yet he approached local leadership with the same discipline and sincerity he brought to national service.
But perhaps the most meaningful chapter of our collective journey came years later when President Rodrigo Duterte appointed him MWSS Administrator
(The writer, president/chief executive officer of Media Touchstone Ventures, Inc. and president/executive director of the Million Trees Foundation Inc., a non-government outfit advocating tree-planting and environmental protection, is the official biographer of President Fidel V. Ramos.)
