By Rey Anthony Chiu

VALENCIA.- Philippine National Police (PNP) authorities and communities here in Valencia town bind further into a more cohesive force against crimes with the recent implementation of the Pulis Nyo Po sa Barangay (PnpSB). Faced with a threat of more violent and sometimes well-armed criminals making its flung villages as lairs or escape routes, local anti-crime forces now stand a better chance of winning the peace with a police officer now part of the barangay force. The program, according to Camp Dagohoy Police Community Relations Officer Antonieto Cuyos assigns a police officer as supervisor and regularly sits down with the barangay peace keeping officers and peace and order council to discuss strategies and pro-active measures against criminal elements.

An addendum of the Letter of Instruction on the organization of the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team (BPATS), the program is also implemented as one of the ten point agenda cascaded by PNP Chief Police General Nicanor Bartolome to all PNP units in the country. Under the PnpSB program, Barangay Peace keeping and Security Officers or Barangay Tanods are joined by a police officer who will supervise the barangay in their anti-crime operations. At the PnpSB launching here April 18, their Camp Dagohoy key officers marched to their assigned towns in Duero, Dimiao and Lila to orient Barangay chairmen and tanods on the mechanics of the program which had its first batch of trainings the week before. According to Cuyos, PnpSB is a gesture of PNP commitment to pursue an effective community partnership in support of sustained barangay based anti-crime strategy, said PSupt Cuyos before a crowded ABC Hall in Valencia town.

“Through the PnpSB, policemen who add the barangays in their beats also act as conduits between his community and his office station or unit, while he holds office at the barangay in times a week,” PSupt. Cuyos explains. “This provides a strong momentum to the community policing,” he told peace keeping officers while stressing LOI 22-09 Bayanihan or the directive mandating Barangay Peacekeeping Operations through the BPATs. Attending the launch were chiefs of tanods, barangay chairmen of 35 town villages and local officials led by Vice Mayor Jorge Buslon and SB on Peace and Order Chairman Aristotle Cometa. Highlighting the new program as a conglomeration of barangay security sectoral groups, the community relations expert stresses that community volunteers act as force multipliers under the PNP. The designation as PSB supervisor is additional job of the police officer which he does over and above his present duties, he told policemen who shall make the rounds to their assigned barangay clusters.

When there, the police officer acts as the focal person monitoring the peace and order situation in his assigned barangay on 24-hour basis, so that he designs his personal schedule to serve, he instructed his local counterparts. To the local officials, Cuyos also asked help in monitoring the police in the barangays to note that they visit their assignments at least once a week and at the same time, carry out police community based activities including engaging communities in dialogues and pulong-pulongs, meetings, house visits, give crime prevention and safety awareness lectures, hand in personal safety leaflets and other IEC materials. The police, along with his local tanods identify peace and order issues and other public safety concerns including prevalent crimes, drug problems, health issues and disaster prone areas to better update town leaders for planning and legislative support.

The police presence in the communities also helps them provide immediate assistance in emergencies and disasters. Even before the PnpSB, Valencia Vice Mayor Jorge Buslon publicly commended the towns police for sincere service in front of key Camp Dagohoy Officials. PNP Valencia is worth commendable for its performance in the last few months, he said. Speaking to represent Mayor Henrietta Gan, Buslon also stressed that attaining peace is impossible without progress. He also said neither can progress happen without peace. VM Buslon ended his message by insisting that peace and progress can only happen when communities work with the police.