ILOILO – The Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) should conduct a regular threat assessment of each locality and their respective local chief executives (LCEs).
“Gusto naton regularly mahatagan systematic update ang aton mayors sa security situation sang ila banwa, sang probinsya kag sa ila personal,” said Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. during the meeting of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP)-Iloilo chapter at Casa Real de Iloilo yesterday.
Security-related information gathered through intelligence work should be vetted, he said, “Para makapangaman ang mga mayors naton.”
Defensor also said providing security personnel to LCEs is a given, although the scale depends on their threat situation.
Last month, Mamintal Adiong, governor of the southern province of Lanao del Sur, was shot and wounded in an attack that killed his driver and three police escorts.
That same month, the vice mayor of the northern town of Aparri, Rommel Alameda, and five other people who were travelling with him were shot dead in a motorway ambush.
Just this March 4, Gov. Roel Degamo of Negros Oriental was shot to death.
HOW TO CONDUCT THREAT ASSESSMENT?
IPPO director, Police Colonel Ronaldo Palomo, said they would mobilize the intelligence personnel of each municipal police station to monitor the security of LCEs.
“Kami mismo sa provincial office magakuha sina kag himuon ina sang intelligence unit sa idalom sang every municipal police station,” Palomo told Panay News yesterday.
He is eyeing a quarterly assessment.
The IPPO is ready to provide two police personnel to an LCE for 15 days.
After 15 days, the LCE must formally apply for police security at the IPPO, to be forwarded to the Police Regional Office 6, which would decide whether police security should be provided.
Palomo said they would make the LCEs understand the level of a threat.
“Introduce naton sa iya ang threat assessment kag explain naton sa iya para makita nila nga wala kita nagkulang sa ila,” he added.
So far, no LCE has requested for police security.
DEFENSOR WILLING TO ACCEPT POLICE SECURITY IF…
The IPPO director said they monitored no threat against the governor.
However, he said he could talk to Defensor to discuss security measures.
Defensor has no police security, only his personal driver and aide.
Palomo said he would make adjustments to the governor’s security.
Defensor is open to the idea.
“If necessary, mangayo kita bulig sa aton nga PNP,” he said.
“Bal-an mo kis-a sa kasakuon naton kag sa mga na-andan naton lain ang security consciousness naton eh. Ako as governor and the whole province kay we are comparing situation with other provinces. Lain kita eh that is why lain ang sitwasyon diri sa Iloilo, politika naton lain man. But again that is why biskan lain nagpa-meeting kita kay para indi kita malipat kag indi mag-untat sa pagpangaman,” Defensor added./PN
