BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
ILOILO City – Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. has replaced Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog of this city as chairman of the Western Visayas peace and order council.
No less than Secretary Mar Roxas of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) confirmed Defensor’s appointment.
During his visit to the city Friday last week, Roxas personally handed to the governor the appointment order in front of various political leaders of the province and city of Iloilo.
Among those present were Cong. Arcadio Gorriceta (2nd District, Iloilo), Mabilog, former congressman Oscar Garin (1st District, Iloilo), and municipal mayors of the province.
It was unclear why Mabilog was replaced.
As the new chairman of the regional peace and order council, Defensor is expected to spearhead efforts to keep Western Visayas tranquil.
The council is tasked to formulate plans and recommend measures which will improve or enhance peace and order and public safety in the region.
It is also mandated to monitor the implementation of peace and order programs and projects at the regional, provincial, city or municipal levels.
The council is expected to make periodic assessments of the prevailing peace and order situation and submit a report thereon with recommendations to the Chairman of the National Peace and Order Council.
The regional peace and order council is composed of various regional counterparts of national government agencies such as the Philippine National Police, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and National Bureau of Investigation, among others.
There are also representatives from the private sector.
Drug trafficking is one of the peace and order problems in the region identified by the Police Regional Office 6./PN
