Isaac (left) receiving the posthumous award for his late father from Mancha during the ceremony. – Photo from PDRM
KUCHING (March 6): The late ASP Wilfred Gomez Malong was posthumously awarded the title of ‘Pingat Jasa Pahlawan Negara’ from the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) today.
Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mancha Ata, in a statement, said the award is to recognise Wilfred’s bravery during a battle with the Communist insurgents in Ulu Poi, Kanowit on June 20, 1973.
“Despite being largely outnumbered by the Communist terrorists, Wilfred and two other police officers managed to fend off and emerged victorious in the battle,” said Mancha.
Wilfred was also awarded the ‘Pingat Gagah Berani (PGB)’ from the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong in 1974 following the battle, making him the youngest person in Malaysia to receive the title at the age of 24.
Wilfred, who was born in Betong, retired from the police force in 1980 and passed away on Feb 5, 2013 at the age of 63.
He was laid to rest at the Kampung Entingan cemetery in Kota Samarahan.
Today, the posthumous award was received by Wilfred’s son, Isaac Alexander Gomez from Mancha during a ceremony held at the Sarawak General Operations Force Headquarters’ Dewan Pahlawan.
Also receiving their awards during the two-day ceremony that started on Tuesday were 374 other retired police personnel.
In the statement, Mancha also called upon retired and former police personnel who are eligible for the award to register on the PDRM website.
“The award is for those who were not in service during the emergency period between 1962 and Oct 17, 1990.
“Based on our records, a total of 1,767 retired personnel who are eligible have not yet come forward to receive their awards,” he said.
Mancha added that since 2014, the Sarawak police have held 13 award ceremonies and handed out a total of 3,435 awards.
The recipients are made up of 2,340 retired police personnel and 1,075 police personnel who are still in service.
Only 20 retired police personnel were handed their awards outside of the official ceremony due to their health or medical conditions.
