GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/07 March) — In a bid to improve its operations and service delivery, the city police office has activated a special multi-sectoral body that will serve as its consultative and advisory arm.
Supt. Rolly Octavio, deputy city police director for administration, said Friday they formed the advisory body to facilitate an ongoing review of its operational strategies, administrative processes as well as plans and programs.
Dubbed City Advisory Council (CAC), he said the activation of the special body was among the requirements set by the Philippine National Police (PNP) central office for the implementation of its flagship Performance Governance System (PGS).
The PGS is part of the PNP’s Integrated Transformation Program, which is a long term moral recovery plan for the police force.
It has helped the PNP in changing its procurement service by optimizing and maximizing utilization of resources.
The system, which mainly sets the wider participation of local or community stakeholders in police affairs, took off from a mechanism introduced by the late Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jessie Robredo that measures the performance of local government units.
Octavio said the council is composed of representatives from the city government, business and religious sectors, academe and the media.
He said the council will mainly assist the city police in crafting its plans and programs as well as policies related with its mandate and functions.
“We recognize that the implementation of our plans, programs and strategies will be more effective through closer collaboration with community stakeholders,” he said.
Octavio said they’re hoping that the rollout of the new system in the area will help improve their operations, especially in terms of addressing crime-related problems.
“It will also help improve our image and draw us closer to the people or the local community,” the official said.
Michael Wee, who was elected as the CAC’s chair, said they are initially looking at some strategies that would help the city police effectively address the rising cases of shooting incidents in the area.
“It’s a strong concern and we’d like the city police effectively act on it, especially now that we are promoting the city as an ideal place for investors,” he said.
Wee said that the shooting incidents have become an obstacle to the city’s trade and investment promotion efforts and a “turn off in some ways” to prospective investors.
The city police office has recorded a total of 26 shooting incidents in the city in the first two months of the year.
Senior Supt. Froilan Quidilla, city police director, said some of these cases were perpetrated by motorcycle riding-in-tandem suspects and alleged hired assassins.
Nine of the cases were recorded at the police station in Makar, seven in Tambler, three in San Isidro, two each in Bula, Lagao and Pendatun and one in Tinagacan.
Quidilla said 17 of these incidents have already been resolved while the nine others are still undergoing investigation. (MindaNews)