“I owe a debt… I can never repay, but will strive to honor through service…” - PBG Dilag during his home coming to Kalinga

Tabuk City, Kalinga – Police Brigadier General Ericson Dilag, during his visit to Kalinga on September 17, recalled his childhood and took time to mention some of those people who influenced his childhood which in turn contributed to the factors that made him what he is today.

During his talk in front of the people who received him, along side Governor James Edduba, Vice-GOvernor Dave Odiem, Board Member Julius Glenn Amla and others, the first Police General in Kalinga who became a regional director of Cordillera underscored importance of being rooted to his home, Kalinga Province, and being connected to his culture and traditions.

Almost two months since he was assigned as the Regional Director of the Police Regional Office Cordillera, Dilag, who has since been going around the different provinces of the region for command visits, was given the welcome dinner accorded to him in Kalinga.

Dilag described the welcome as a ‘humbling and deeply meaningful’ moment as he stood before his kailyans, saying it is a privilege to be recognized and honored by his home province.

“Let me say this clearly, I would not be here where I am today if not for this place and for the people in it,” he emphasized, adding that he has been carrying with him the values, discipline, honesty, sense of justice, and the empathy the elders, the community, and the teachers in Kalinga had imparted with him while growing up.

The Brigadier General added that the people in Kalinga guided him and believed in him even when the road was not easy and the dreams he had seemed too far to be reached.

“For that, I owe a debt of gratitude I can never fully repay but will always strive to honor through service. This recognition is not simply a personal milestone, it is a proof that with hard work, integrity, and the support of a strong community, anyone can rise, anyone can lead, and anyone can serve at the highest levels,” Dilag expressed.

Being the first star-rank police general of Balbalan and the first PROCAR RD from Kalinga, the police regional director reminds the next generations of iKalingas that they too can dream big and serve with pride.

Dilag ended his message by looking forward to a stronger partnership between the police and the community, to a safer and more peaceful communities, and to a future ‘where every citizen feels protected, heard, and valued’.