Cordillera - Ptcol. Vincent Bangwa is a proud “Kankanaey,” who hails from the municipality of Sabangan, Mt. Province. From a simple beginning, he endeavored progressively in his academic years and graduated Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at Baguio Colleges Foundation in the year 1997.
Year 1998, when he entered the Philippine National Police (PNP) as Non-Commissioned Officer and served as Police Officer 1 at the Police Regional Office Cordillera.
He then pursued his law enforcement career and entered the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) as Police Cadet and hurdled the rigorous training. He successfully graduated from the prestigious Police Academy in the year 2003 and earned the degree of Bachelor of Science in Public Safety. He is a proud member of the PNPA SAMBIGKIS CLASS of 2003.
After graduation, he joined the elite PNP Special Action Force (SAF) and underwent the arduous foundation course which is the SAF Commando Course that earned him the most coveted “Black Beret” of SAF.
As one of the top brass of their class, he was privileged to be assigned at the SAF Air Unit where he underwent different PNP training and various aviation training such as the Basic Helicopter Pilot Training (BHPT), Basic Aircraft Maintenance Course (BAMC), and other advance aviation-related courses here and abroad. He was trained by different check pilots in the helicopter factories such as Airbus, Bell, and Robinsons.
He is the only PNP pilot who is a holder of Commercial Pilot License, Ground Instructor, and a Flight Instructor License under the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) with six (6) ratings in different kinds of helicopters in both single and multi-engine categories making him one of the most sought pilots of the PNP and in the general aviation community.
As a pilot, they conducted several flight missions all over the country. He led the PNP Air Unit Team in the conduct of aerial reconnaissance, disaster relief operations, and search and rescue operations during the surge of Typhoon Ulysses and Rolly in both the Cagayan Valley Region and Bicol Region.
Not to mention the different air support operations in the conduct of counterinsurgency, counter-terrorism, and law enforcement operations of SAF and other PNP units. They were able to make numerous air support and rescue operations to several wounded operating troops right at the encounter site and airlifted them to the nearest medical facilities and hospitals. He was dubbed as the “Game Changer” during the encounter between the Communist Terrorist Group and the PNP operating troops where he conducted the air insertion of the operating troops in the mountainous terrain of Capiz and Aklan.
In addition to his numerous accomplishments, he is also the Chief, Flight Instructor in the training of the PNP pool of helicopter pilots. With his ratings and training, he initiated and spearheaded the training to address the depleted number of PNP helicopter pilots. He and his classmate, PLTCOL DEXTER P VITUG already produces a number of new PNP Helicopter pilots wherein he and PLTCOL VITUG are the only Flight Instructors.
HE IS PLTCOL VINCENT CRIS BUDOD BANGWA served as the Officer-In-Charge of SAF Air Unit twice already and is currently taking his mandatory career course, the Public Safety Officers Executive Course (PSOSEC).
source || PCADG - Cordillera
