REGIONAL DIRECTORS INTERFACE WITH IVATANS
By: Philippine Information Agency - Basco, Batanes

A joint conference of Regional, Provincial and Municipal Peace and Order Councils of Region 02 and the province of Batanes was held in Basco on May 25, 2002. The seminar was on Peace and Order Council Operations and the Workings of the Criminal Justice System; and a workshop on the Integrated Area/Community Public Safety Plan.

Regional directors of DOH, DEPED, DOLE, DTI, PIA, DENR, DILG, NAPOLCOM, PNP interfaced with LGUs, DOJ, provincial government, and the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) on the regional peace and order situation. Overview of the Criminal Justice and Presentation of Model Integrated Community Public Safety Plan were among the agenda.

Peace and Order updates in the region focused on criminality and insurgency was presented by P/C Supt. Dominador C. Resos Jr., RD, PNP of region 02.

Comr. Rogelio Pureza, NAPOLCOM vice-chairman and Executive Officer said that if only peace and order can be attained, then we would save P30B a year. He said further that we haven't realized the dream for a crime-free society. Meantime in the effort of attaining that dream, we have the peace and order council and disaster coordinating council.

He added that, peace and order should start from the barangays using their human resources being the best resource for peace; not guns, logistics and equipment. Before there were no guns, no ammunitions but human resources.

He emphasized that the community is the beginning ALPHA and the end OMEGA. The entire public system, the peace and order system and the justice system is the community. All the councils are nothing without the community's capability in promoting peace.

Then the P300 B budget for peace and order would be transformed for hand-made harbor, networking, education, and infrastructures among others.

Despite the general peace and order situation in Batanes, there are petty incidents of criminality and disorderliness in this place; abuse and violence on women and children for instance and incidents of poaching and burglaries.

The corporate efforts of the PNP, religious sector, academe, PIA, Senior Citizens, SK, Rotary Club, prov'l gov't., LGUs, NGOs would ensure crime-free societies.

Gov. Gato reported that Batanes is still free from gambling although there are small spots to kill time or a form of recreation, so far there is no serious case of illegal gambling.

Col. Alejandre Tamani of PPOC Nueva Vizcaya who reported Judicial Summit in Nueva Vizcaya had a unique case of Jail Management in his province. Col. Tamani said that the Nueva Vizcaya provincial jail was 3-time awardee of the Cleanest and Most Orderly Jail in region 02. What's more unique is, that the prov'l gov't included the prov'l jail a part of tourist spots in the province thus tourists visit the jail. He also reported that some inmates whose imprisonment period terminated refuse to leave the jail. There is peace and order right there.

The joint conference of regional peace and order council and regional management coordinating committee is a project of NAPOLCOM Central Office, NAPOLCOM Region 02, Police Regional Office 02 and DILG Interior Sector.