Mindanao RPOCs meet

COLLABORATION --- Chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of the Regional Peace and Order Councils in Mindanao attended the first cluster meeting for Calendar Year 2017 last February 15 held in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat.  DILG Secretary Ismael Sueno  presided over the meeting of the RPOCs. Seen inset is Sultan Kudarat Governor and RPOC XII Chairman Pax S. Mangudadatu. Cotabato City Mayor Frances Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi (left) is one of the attendees. (GILMHAR A. LAO – MINDANAO EXPOSE’)

ISULAN, Sultan Kudarat ---  The Regional Peace and Order Councils (RPOCs) of the Mindanao cluster convened last  February 15 in Isulan, the provincial capitol of Sultan Kudarat province, to deal and respond on issues affecting peace and order in the island of Mindanao.

The cluster gathering is considered as the first special meeting this year presided over by Interior and Local Government Secretary Ismael ‘Mike’ Sueno for the council chairpersons and vice-chairpersons in the Mindanao area.

“Aside from peace and order, the RPOCs’ meeting intends to strengthen our campaign against all forms of criminality,” said Sueno.

Sultan Kudarat Governor Pax S. Mangudadatu, who chairs the RPOC XII, said among the discussions  in the cluster meeting were illegal drugs, illegal gambling, terrorism, and insurgency.

“Our counterparts presented the security situation report in their respective regions,” he said.

Mangudadatu said he is elated that the first Peace and Order Council cluster meeting for Mindanao in 2017 finally took place.

As host to the cluster meeting, Mangudadatu said:  “We would want to show them that just like here in Sultan Kudarat, all the people regardless of their culture, tribe, and religion could live in peace and harmony. Good governance is the key. Muslims, Christians, and Lumads here in Sultan Kudarat share the spirit of oneness and I believe it can be of help if other places could replicate what we have done here, then peace can ultimately be achieved,” he said.

Further, representatives from the Philippine National Police  and Armed Forces of the Philippines presented the current peace and order situation within their areas of responsibility.

P/Superintendent Ireneo Dalogdog dealt on the illegal drugs and crime scenario while Maj. Gen. Carlito Galvez, Jr., commanding general  of the Western Mindanao Command, tackled the insurgency problem.

In Cotabato City, Mayor Atty. Frances Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi  convened  last February 8 the   City Peace and Order Council for its first meeting for the year 2017 which was attended by barangay officials and representatives from the Philippine National Police, Philippine Army, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and sector representatives.

Mayor Guiani-Sayadi, who also attended the cluster meeting in Isulan, said the maintenance of peace and order is not the sole responsibility of those who are from the government. “It is the responsibility of everybody.”

“Rest assured the city government would help the RPOC and the national leadership in the best way we can to eradicate criminalities and maintain peace and order in Cotabato City,” she said.

Guiani-Sayadi also appealed to the barangay officials to always take a pro-active stance and be of help to authorities in maintaining peace and order.

In addition, Sayadi reiterated that plans are underway for the reactivation of the Joint Task Force Kutawato (JTFK), also known as Task Force Cotabato.“We are going to reactivate the task group to focus on the growing threats of terrorism aside from our anti-illegal drug campaign."  

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Governor Mujiv S. Hataman, who was also present during the cluster meeting, said he would want to provide a safe and secure atmosphere that is conducive to the region’s residents and investors.

“More than anything else, our priority is the safety of our populace,” the ARMM governor said.

Last January, Hataman took his oath of office as the RPOC-ARMM  chairperson before President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacañang.

The RPOC plays a vital role in maintaining peace and order in every region in the country and keeps the members abreast of the prevailing conditions, issues, and concerns affecting the security in  their respective areas of jurisdiction.

Other participating regions in the Mindanao RPOC cluster meeting aside from Cotabato City and the ARMM were Regions IX (Zamboanga Peninsula),  X (Northern Mindanao), XI (Davao Region), XII (SOCSKSARGEN), and XIII (CARAGA). (GILMHAR A. LAO & ANNE B. ACOSTA - MINDANAO EXPOSE’)