By NEIL RAMOS
It all started with a dream: To follow in the footsteps of her idol, none other than her dad, Brig. Gen. Diosdado Codoy Sr.
It took some time, but for Chief Supt. Anne Langcauon, head of the Philippine National Police Health Service, it was worth the wait.
“It was hard but there’s nothing like fulfilling a lifelong dream,” she says. “Proving your merit goes beyond anything.”
Langcauon entered the service in 1989 as a lieutenant. Prior, she was busy working as professor at Cebu Doctor’s University College of Dentistry.
“At the time I was happy but far from being fulfilled,” she recalls. “My dream was nagging at me. It felt like a need I had to fill no matter what.”
Her father was instrumental in her finally taking the first step towards fulfilling her dream. “I doubted my capabilities going in. But he was there to push me. He was my personal cheerleader. He was always there to egg me on. He was the one who made me believe I could do it,” says Langcauon.
Life in public service was hard at the beginning for Langcauon especially as she had to juggle life as mom and wife along with it. She admits there were times she thought of giving up. “But I know doing so would be tantamount to letting go of my dream. I didn’t want that. I wanted to become brigadier general just like my dad and I didn’t want to compromise, so I went all out, I kept at it and did my best in everything I have to do to get there,” she says.
Through the years, Langcauon slowly rose in rank from lieutenant to chief inspector to senior superintendent. Today, she is one of at least three lady generals active in police service.
Langcauon says, “It was the result of many things, the hard work, the sacrifices…I gave all, blood, sweat, and tears. More than just putting in the hours, I had to build and establish my credentials. I had to earn a master’s degree, I had to complete a number of training courses…and I had to go through several exams as well. It was definitely not a walk in the park.”
“Earning a star is not just a matter of brawn but brain as well,” she adds. “Then there’s also the matter of having other special qualities needed for the position like leadership and organizational skills.”
Suffice it to say she got to tick all the right boxes.
Langcauon is proud to say she never asked favors from anybody to earn the position. “It took me years, I paid my dues, nothing was handed to me on a silver platter,” she says.
Unfortunately, Langcauon’s dad didn’t get to see the fruition of her labors. He died last December, a month before her daughter earned her star early this year.
She says, “It is really inopportune that he didn’t get to see me fulfil my dream, our dream, but I know somewhere out there he knows that I got to where he wanted me to be.”
Langcauon credits not only her dad but also her husband and children for her success.
“I am thankful that I have a great support system,” she says. “Without them, all of these would be nothing. They made it easy for me to pursue a career in public service even as I also had to fulfil my role as wife and mom.”
As advice to other women eager to forge the same path, the 55-year old says, “work hard, earn respect, and be patient.”
She explains, “In the last 29 years that I have been pursuing a career in what is considered a man’s world, I’ve never felt discriminated or frowned upon as a woman and that is because I work hard. See, it’s all about how you want to be perceived. You have to establish respect and you could only do that by working as hard as the guys.”
She adds, “The climb to the top is going to be full of challenges but don’t let the hardships get the better of you.
If anything, toil even harder, and along the way people would eventually recognize you for your worth.”
