LEGAZPI CITY, Jan. 12 (PNA) – With the 120 policemen now manning the public safety and security setup of Masbate City, the regional headquarters of the Philippine National Police (PNP) here on Thursday said it is confident the maintenance of peace and order in that provincial capital will be closely attended to.
The number already represents one policeman to 700 population, a ratio that exceeds the standard 1:1,000 set up and with that, according to Bicol PNP regional director Chie supt. Cecilio Calleja Jr., “we are confident the crime volume in the locality would be further reduced, crime solution efficiency enhanced and orderliness managed”.
The fielding of so many policemen in Masbate City, the provincial capital, is in support of the PNP to the aspiration of the island province to keep abreast with the economic developments taking place in the Bicol mainland owing to the growing business investments and tourism industry particularly in Albay, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte and Catanduanes, Calleja said.
“This is to help Masbate detach itself from being one of the poorest provinces of the country and as the ‘murder capital of Bicol’ tag earned from intense political rivalries resulting to a long series of killings and other violent occurrences which happened in the past,” he said.
That political situation is already under control starting in the conduct and after the 2010 elections which saw local political camps yielding to the intensified anti-loose firearms and private armies drive put in place by the police and the military, the Bicol police director said.
“Masbate local officials are now focused on developing the economic potentials of the province by way of creating a favorable investment climate, implementing tourism programs and protecting its marine resources towards better productivity.The police is in full support of these initiatives,” according to Calleja.
Since last year, he said the city has improved its investment climate earning for it a citation last month from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) as one of the “most business-friendly cities” in the region while latest statistics showed that the province had already gained headway in its economy by significantly elevating itself from the second to the 12th of the country’s poorest provinces.
“Sustaining those gains is now a concern of not only the local officials of Masbate but also of the PNP that is why we are providing preferential attention to the island in the placement of our forces,” Calleja said.
Part of the Masbate City police force now under the disposal of Supt. Rodolfo Abella, its station chief is a unit trained as Special Weapons and Armory Tactics (SWAT) that has been tasked to go after the so called “contract killers” that operate in tandems on board motorcycles.
In intensifying the security and public safety operations, checkpoints searching for loose firearms, patrols and quick response teams are now common sites around the provincial capital which according to Calleja has been effective in the maintenance of peace and order in the locality.(PNA)
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