By Queenie Lee Tanjay
Photo: Aisha Ronquillo
In times of crisis police forces step up big time with their endeavours to respond to community needs and employ systematic interventions that the public can follow. In unprecedented times like these, especially, police intercessions are integral to imposing necessary health protocols and procedures. One of the officers who excels in this field is our very own kababayan, Ding Capunitan, who is revered for his important role in ethnic communities.
Ding, 54, has established an active life in the field of customer liaison and service. Over the years he has amassed substantial experience in interacting with diverse communities through exploring different careers. “I’ve worked as a United Nations volunteer in Bangladesh & Indonesia, which helped me a lot in understanding and interacting with other cultures.
“My retail work experience has also given me the confidence to deal with challenging situations, especially dealing with unhappy customers. I love interacting with different cultures and always try to empathize with them to see their point of view,” he shared. On top of those milestones he also gained a NZQA accreditation as an Assistant Outdoor Instructor here in NZ.
Little did he know, this stockpile of experiences would draw an important line to a bigger role that he could take for the community. This Binan, Laguna, native now serves as an Ethnic Liaison Officer based in Auckland. Now 8 years in service, he identifies his role primarily as delving into and bringingg ethnic communities’ issues to the NZ police. The role also encompasses identifying needs affecting the communities, stimulating participation in operational planning and policy building and creating a safe space for everyone to co-exist.
“During the lockdown our Ethnic services team has helped with the Level 3 & 4 roadblocks in and around the Auckland borders and was also assigned to one of the MIQ hotels back in Nov & Dec 2020,” he stated.
Over the years Ding has encountered various emerging concerns from the community, particularly in the Filipino community. “Pinoys have lots of questions, but usually they are from not knowing what to do. i.e. how to report incidents to Police.”
Although this line of career is not as popular as those in the hospitality or health industries, Ding is still optimistic about the future of Pinoy aspirants in his realm of expertise. “I give encouragement to every Pinoy that I meet who wants to join the Police and am totally supportive of any Filipinos who are thinking of joining the NZ Police. Also, we are going to start the Auckland Safety Patrols again this year for those who want to start as a volunteer,” he shared.
At present Ding is one of the 20 sworn Pinoy Constables across NZ (1 in Rotorua, 2 in Hamilton and Tauranga and 15 in Auckland) who carry out important roles in community bridging and building.
Putting his badge and uniform aside, Ding never forgets to go the extra mile for the Filipino community in NZ which he has been a part of for 19 years now. “Since I started my position as a liaison officer I have slowly met up with the various Filipino groups and in the future will be conducting safety and security talks with the different Pinoy communities. I also have an impending meet-up with a Fil@NZ group that will include 200 Pinoys for work visa concerns next month,” he told us.
When asked for important learnings he can share with everyone who wants to follow his journey, he ended with. “Patience is a virtue. Having more life experience will give you more confidence in dealing with complex issues in day to day life.”
Saludo kami sayo, Sir Ding!
