Engr. Richard Albano Albano (born April 13, 1960) is a retired Filipino general who is the author of Oplan Lambat-Sibat, a nationwide anti-crime program. Since the launch of this program, Albano was lauded by the national government for the number of successful arrests during his stints at the Quezon City Police District and Police Regional Office 4-A. He is one of the youngest police officers to be conferred the Star Rank in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, and was conferred the Cavalier Award in 2014 by the

Philippine Military Academy The Philippine Military Academy ( fil, Akademiyang Militar ng Pilipinas / es, Academia Militar de Filipinas) also referred to by its acronym PMA is the premier military academy for Filipinos aspiring for a commission as a military officer of ...

(PMA) for his exemplary performance in the field of police operations. The Cavalier Award is the most coveted and highest honour that can be given to a PMA alumnus. Albano is popular among the press because of his practical, thoughtful, and swift police investigation and operations management earning him the nickname, "Friend of the Press."

Early life and education

Richard, also called "Bobot" by his teenage peers, was born and raised in

Laoag Laoag, officially the City of Laoag ( ilo, Siudad ti Laoag; fil, Lungsod ng Laoag), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 111,651 people. ...

Ilocos Norte Ilocos Norte, officially the Province of Ilocos Norte ( ilo, Probinsia ti Ilocos Norte; tl, Lalawigan ng Ilocos Norte), is a province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region. Its capital is Laoag City, located in the northwest corner ...

. He is the fourth child of Col. Fulgencio Albano, a retired

Philippine Constabulary The Philippine Constabulary (PC; tl, Hukbóng Pamayapà ng Pilipinas, ''HPP''; es, Policía de Filipinas, ''PF'') was a gendarmerie-type police force of the Philippines from 1901 to 1991, and the predecessor to the Philippine National Po ...

Officer and a

war veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that has ...

, and Liwliwa Albano (b. 1925), a public school teacher. His maternal grandfather is Vicente Albano from Messina,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, who moved to the Philippines during the Spanish colonization period. Vicente was the first mayor ("

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

") of Vintar, Ilocos Norte. Richard has four siblings * Gen. Rowland: a retired police general and the former vice mayor of Vintar, Ilocos Norte * Marywin: a registered nurse * Dr. Maribel: an obstetrician and now a municipal councilor of Vintar, Ilocos Norte. * Wilfred (+) The long-running Albano political clan from Isabela is also connected with the Albanos from

. Richard graduated in 1980 with a

civil engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewa ...

degree from the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Migue ...

before he entered the

under the Maharlika Class of 1984.

Police career

Albano retired from the Philippine National Police after 32 years of active service. The following are his former designations: * Regional Director: Police Regional Office 4-A * District Director: Quezon City Police District * Executive Officer: Directorate for

Logistics Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...

* Deputy Director, Chief of Staff: Police Retirement and Benefits Service * Regional Chief:

Criminal Investigation and Detection Group The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) is the primary investigation arm of the Philippine National Police. History The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group was established as the Criminal Information Service whose origin t ...

(Police Regional Offices 2 & 3) * Chief: Regional Comptrollership Division (Police Regional Office 3) * Chief: Finance Service (Police Regional Office 1) * Chief: Regional Intelligence and Investigation Division (Police Regional Office Cordillera) * Chief: District Intelligence Division (Northern Police District) * Chief: District Special Project Unit (Quezon City Police District) * Regional Chief: NCR Narcotics Group which later became the

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA, , ; Filipino: ''Ahensiya ng Pilipinas sa Pagpapatupad ng Batas Laban sa Bawal na Gamot'') is the lead anti-drug law enforcement agency, responsible for preventing, investigating and combating any ...

(Police Regional Office 1) * Chief: Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (Western Police District) * Chief of Police: Police Regional Office 3 * Intelligence Officer: Police Regional Office 3 * Investigation Officer: Police Regional Office 3

Professional awards

Albano has received a total of 342 professional awards while on active service. * Anak ng Cabanatuan Award: Awarded by the City Government of

Cabanatuan Cabanatuan, officially the City of Cabanatuan ( fil, Lungsod ng Cabanatuan; ilo, Siudad ti Cabanatuan), is a 1st class component city in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 327,325 peop ...

, 2014

Other recent awards and citations

Awards below are from 2013 - 2016: * Best Police District in the Public Perception Survey: given during the 23rd PNP Founding Anniversary at NCRPO, 2014. Recognition was awarded after NAPOLCOM NCR conducted a public survey pertaining to police perception. Initiated by

NAPOLCOM The National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM; fil, Pambansang Komisyon ng Pulisya) is an agency attached to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) responsible for the administration and control of the Philippine National Polic ...

, for the first time, citizens got involved in choosing the best district based on the following criteria: (1) Public Acceptance and Respect; (2) Police Response and Accessibility; (3) Lifestyle, Moral and Ethics; (4) Public Reporting of Crime; (5) Perceived Level of Public Safety * Medal of Recognition: awarded by Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapag, AFP Chief of Staff, for the success of police security operations during President Benigno S. Aquino III’s State of the Nation Address for two (2) consecutive years: 2013 and 2014. * Achievement Award in the Campaign against Organized Crimes

Personal life

Richard is married to Lucita San Juan-Albano, a medical doctor from

with whom they have five children: Raizel Pauline (b. 1989), Radrich Paul (b. 1994), Richmarc Pierce (b. 1996), Richnell Peter (b. 1999), and Renrich Patrick Allan (b. 2002).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Albano, Richard Albano 1960 births Living people Filipino generals Albano, Richard People from Laoag People from Cabanatuan Philippine Military Academy alumni University of Santo Tomas alumni Filipino people of Italian descent Albano, Richard