Danao was drafted into the Southern Mindanao Regional Special Action Force immediately after completing his military training in 1991. He was commissioned as a junior officer deployed in the operations against Communist insurgents and was stationed in the province of Surigao del Sur for four years. In 1995, he began his law enforcement career when he enlisted in the Philippine National Police as a SWAT commander for the Davao City Police Office. He earned his first promotion to Senior Inspector the following year when he also began serving as station commander.
