• H/Insp Low Wen Foo (Class of 2000-2003) - Posted to Clementi Town Sec NPCC Unit
• H/Insp Kelvin Choy (Class of 2000-2003) - Posted to Kent Ridge Sec NPCC Unit
• H/Insp Chan Xiao Shan (Class of 2001-2004) - Posted to Clementi Woods Sec NPCC Unit

=Edwin=

Cadets finishing off the finger licking good yusheng!
Celebrating the spirit of togetherness in the new year!

And Last but not least,NHNP welcomes the new batch of sec 1 cadets in!:)

Here's wishing everyone a Happy Lunar New Year and may NHNP soar to greater heights in the new year!

Mr Lee Chee Hoe, 22, was "adopted" by Concepcion province after going there as a volunteer to construct buildings and do electrical work for the poor. He also taught basic IT skills to students (above) in a local school there.

He is born and bred in Singapore, and a loyal son of this land.

Yet, this national serviceman is also adored by the Filipinos, and close to the heart of many there.

Mr Lee Chee Hoe, 22, has a unique relationship with the little-known province of Concepcion, Iloilo, in the Philippines.

He is their 'adopted son' - a moniker earned, complete with signed and sealed certificate to prove it, after a month-long community service trip there while still a Singapore Polytechnic student.

What was meant to have been a short stint, helping to install electrical cables and points in the homes of the poor with other student volunteers, resulted in a love affair with the region.

To the group's surprise, they were presented with official certificates from the municipal government at the end of their trip, giving them honorary 'adoption' status.

The province's officials must agree to the 'adoption' certificates, which are then signed and presented by the mayor. The 'adopted' children also act as goodwill ambassadors for the region.

Mr Lee, who is now doing national service, said he and his friends were very touched. 'We felt like our contributions were being recognised and we felt closer to the people,' he said.

While in the Philippines, he saw 'people going hungry, going around looking for food'. The sun was so hot and shelter so meagre that even doing electrical work indoors gave the students sunburn, he said.

'It's something we have never experienced in Singapore. Our Government does such a good job.'

At times, he would sit with the villagers and try to talk to them, even if only through body language. 'After some time, you develop feelings for them,' he said. 'I think that even five, 10 years on, the locals will remember us.'

His interest sparked, Mr Lee returned to Concepcion on two more occasions while still at the polytechnic - once to help construct buildings, and the other to do further electrical work.

At the end of the third trip, he was given a 'loyalty award' from the same government for having volunteered thrice in a row.

For a few days during his third trip, he even had a rich Filipino 'father' and 'mother' for a while, as part of a homestay.

Mr Lee lived for three days with them, calling them his 'bum-bum' and 'nai-nai' (father and mother in Filipino dialect).

'After weeks of no television and no computer, I stepped into his house and there was a huge 45-inch plasma TV, and the whole bungalow was air-conditioned,' he said.

When told of her son's new 'status', his real-life mother said with a smile: 'Does this mean you get discounts when you buy things there?'

Maybe not, but she may get to meet his Filipino 'family' as he is planning a trip there this year with friends, colleagues or family to show them around