BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA and FREDA SORSANO
ILOILO City – No less than the city police force and its own city mayor, Jed Patrick Mabilog, were absent from the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) reorganizational meeting yesterday despite having been invited.
This is ironic in the midst of a string of recent security breaches in the city such as the discovery of a cybersex den, the arrest of a group of South Koreans engaged in international telecom fraud, drug busts, illegal gambling and petty street crimes.
Mabilog used to chair the RPOC but last month Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas replaced him with Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. of Iloilo province.
It was unclear why Mabilog was replaced. He and Defensor were members of the ruling Liberal Party.
Mabilog did not send any representative to the meeting.
Explaining his absence, the mayor said there was a conflict in his schedule yesterday.
He had a meeting with central market vendors and this had been set ahead of RPOC’s re-organizational meeting, said Mabilog.
The RPOC held its meeting at Hotel del Rio.
As the regional counterpart of the National Peace and Order Council, the RPOC is tasked to formulate plans and recommend measures to improve or enhance peace and order and public safety in Western Visayas.
Businessmen have expressed concern over the rising incidents of criminality and drug trafficking. They scare tourists and investors away, warned Iloilo Business Club executive director Lea Lara.
The Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) did not attend the meeting, too.
Senior Supt. Ruperto Floro, city police director, invoked Mabilog’s excuse – conflict in schedule.
Floro said he had not received any notice about the meeting.
He stressed, however, that he sent policemen to secure the RPOC meeting venue.
“They may have reasons why they were not able to come. Yes, it would be better if they came…but the show must go on,” Defensor said.
Countering illegal drugs and the insurgency are two of RPOC’s priorities under Defensor.
‘DRUG INTERDICTION UNITS’
To curb drug trafficking, RPOC yesterday approved the proposal of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Region 6 to create inter-agency drug interdiction units at seaports and airports.
RPOC is set to finalize the resolution for this. It will be forwarded to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines and Philippine Ports Authority.
“The creation of such is crucial because it will help us become more effective in curbing domestic drug smuggling,” said PDEA regional director Paul Ledesma.
Ledesma cited the big volumes of illegal drugs intercepted through courier services and transported via seaports and airports.
“Our drug problem hinges on drug smuggling,” Ledesma said.
The inter-agency drug interdiction units will be patterned after the existing Ninoy Aquino International Airport Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group.
Its composition includes PDEA, Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation, airport authorities, Bureau of Immigration and the Bureau of Customs, among others.
NOT INVITED?
ICPO’s spokesperson offered another reason for the city police’s absence from the meeting.
“RPOC is only for the regional level and those invited to attend are regional directors unless there is a concern in Iloilo City,” said Supt. Gilbert Gorero.
He said the ICPO did not receive any invitation.
“We did not snub the RPOC meeting. We have no invitation from the RPOC chairman to attend, that’s why we did not attend,” Gorero added.
He also said Iloilo City has its own peace and order council that Mabilog chairs.
Also absent were Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. of Negros Occidental and Gov. Florencio Miraflores of Aklan.
“Probably because of the bad weather,” Defensor said.
Police Regional Office 6 director, Chief Supt. Josephus Angan was at the meeting also attended by provincial governors, mayors of highly urbanized cities, presidents of League of the Municipalities as well as the regional counterparts of various government agencies.
Aside from formulating plans and recommend measures to enhance peace and order and public safety in the region, the RPOC 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./PN
