ILOILO City – This city was chosen as pilot area for the implementation of the Barangay at Pulis Laban sa Krimen (BPLK) in Western Visayas, a crime prevention program that emphasizes the partnership of the community and the Philippine National Police (PNP) in crime prevention.
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Iloilo City director Atty. Ferdinand Panes said 108 of the 180 barangays were identified for two batches of the general orientation that kicked off Monday.
“We are very fortunate that Iloilo City is the pilot local government unit in Region 6 for the implementation of the BPLK,” he said.
DILG came up with Memorandum Circular (MC) 2018-205 dated Nov. 23 on the creation of the BPLK. The program does not only involve barangay officials but the entire community.
“That is why under the MC, they will be creating a neighborhood watch,” he said, noting they are still waiting for the guidelines on to its composition.
Meantime, Panes said the program will be implemented in the city’s 180 barangays.
He said if the DILG could not come up with another orientation other than the two batches, the DILG technical staff will conduct an orientation down to the city district and barangays.
He believed that participants for the two batches of training were chosen based on the incidents of criminal activities in the barangay and those with new set of village chiefs.
“We were requested by the DILG regional office to coordinate with the PNP to identify barangays that should be oriented first,” he said.
Panes said the BPLK is “very timely” because the DILG has just completed its seminar on barangay peace and order public safety plan (BPOPSP) and orientation of the barangay anti-drug abuse council on drug clearing operation.
He recalled that there was already a BPLK during time of former President and now House Speaker Gloria Macapacal-Arroyo but he could not remember if the concept was similar because once a program is revived, new concepts are being introduced. (PNA)
