SATISFY the people and not the governor. Thus urged Governor Edgar Chatto during the turnover of command to Police Senior Supt Constantino Barot Jr., from outgoing provincial director PSSupt. Rodolfo Llorca. Barot assumed as new police provincial commander last September 8. For the governor, the task of bringing the police closer to the heart of the people has worked well during previous police directors. Chatto said endearing the police to the people strengthened the community vigilance against crimes and criminal elements that could cover up for the often under-manned police stations. For Barot he will take on the task of maintaining the untarnished peace and order situation in Bohol, maximize police visibility and aggressively run against crimes for the province's development momentum to sustain. However, with the national police demoralization hitting rock bottom due to the Quirino Grandstand rescue that went kaput, Bohol police force morale is soaring sky-high.

Police operatives and the elite Special Weapons And Tactics team here managed to salvage very successful operations that boosted police morale and undeniably regained police confidence in this part of the country. But PSSupt. Barot comes now without the usual intrigue. With a wife hailing from Balilihan and with unconfirmed reports that he is a relative by affinity of the governor, Barot's assignment was floated as an accommodation. Assuming the helm of power at Camp Dagohoy, seat of Bohol police force's command comes as a huge and seemingly insurmountable obstacle for Supt Barot, who has to devise a plan to maximize police visibility in a province where the police to population ratio is at 1:1195.

The ratio is way below the ideal national figure of 1:500. But armed with a previous assignment here as the commander of the now defunct Regional Special Action Forces in late 80s, Barot believed he can do something substantial with the help of local governments. In his first meeting with the League of Municipalities of the Philippines and the Vice Mayor's League held at the People's Mansion Thursday, Barot in fact said he would attempt to decrease the crime response time to increase the chances of a rapid crime resolution.

TURNOVER

Supt Llorca has turned over to Supt Barot the post of provincial director during the turnover rites that started past 10 AM Sept. 8, 2010 at Camp Dagohoy, this city. The turnover ceremony presided over by Deputy Regional Director for Administration PSSupt Silvestre A. Primero of Cebu , who was the guest, was witnessed by Bohol Gov. Chatto with the presence of police forces and chiefs of police coming from the municipalities and the family of the in-coming provincial director and the local media. None of the municipal mayors, who were invited, showed up. Llorca's 141-day stint, the shortest for provincial director assigned here, ended effective September 7, 2010, the day that Barot assumed but formal turnover of command was formalized the following day. Llorca delivered his farewell address urging his fellow policemen to work with new the administration while Barot his acceptance speech.

Each vowed to work for peace and order in their respective turfs of assignment. For his part, Chatto said preparedness was the key word for law enforcers even as he thanked Llorca for his peace-keeping efforts here. He emphasized, however, that peacekeeping is everybody's concern for “there'll be no development, either agricultural or tourism, without peace.” Chatto vowed to throw support, not only on other aspects, but more on material like equipment, training and facilities for PNP particularly on Special Weapons And Tactics here. He wanted an inventory of the policemen and equipment needed just in time for budgeting period for the provincial government in 2011.