PNP R-PSB program vital in defeating insurgency
PHILIPPINE National Police chief General Benjamin C. Acorda Jr. has emphasized the very important role to be played by their Revitalized-Pulis Sa Barangay or R-PSB program in defeating communist insurgency in the country.
The R-PSB program being supervised by PNP Director for Police-Community Relations Major Gen. Edgar Alan O. Okubo will see R-PSB-trained policemen ‘immersing’ with poor Pinoy folks in far-flung areas in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao for six months to provide them real government service and find out what are their other concerns that needs to be addressed by the country’s leaders.
Acorda said it is an important program to help sustain peace and order in barangays known to have been previously affected by the insurgency problem particularly those situated in so-called Geographically Isolated and Disadvantageous Areas (GIDAS).
The top cop has also commended Maj. Gen. Okubo for the resounding success of the R-PSB training and its alignment with the PNP’s Five-Focused Agenda, particularly the pillar of community engagement.
Last week, Okubo presented the R-PSB concept to Region 8 Peace and Order Council chairman, Tacloban City Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez and other local government and Army officials during a meeting at the Police Regional Office 8 headquarters in Camp Ruperto Kangleon in Palo, Leyte.
Mayor Romualdez expressed his gratitude to the R-PSB program as he acknowledged the efforts of the PNP and the Armed Forces in fighting insurgency in Samar for a long time.
The Tacloban City mayor said he fully believes in the potential of the R-PSB program to help end insurgency in the region and called on all concerned officials to commit their support to the concept.
He also assured that his office is ready to assist the R-PSB project once issues raised by the community are gathered by the officers.
Okubo, Mayor Romualdez and PRO8 director, Brigadier Gen. Vincent S. Calanoga also graced the send-off ceremony for 318 R-PSB personnel who will be deployed in Barangays Jangtud, Nagbubtac, Mabaras, Matambag and Magsaysay in Palapag municipality and in Bgys. Magsaysay and Quezon in Mapanas town.
All seven barangays in Northern Samar are known to be formerly influenced by the NPA.
The Department of Public Works and Highways has already offered their heavy equipment to build roads that will be recommended by the R-PSB officers in the two municipalities in coordination with LGUs.
Prior to that, Maj. Gen. Okubo and PRO5 director, Brig. Gen. Westrimundo D. Obinque also met with 320 PRO5 officers and men who have finished an R-PSB training prior to their deployment to 34 far-flung barangays in Bicol to help deliver good governance and further convince local residents to stop supporting the NPA.
The event was also witnessed by a number of local government officials including Camalig, Albay Mayor Carlos Baldo Jr., top PRO5 officers and representatives from the PNP Special Action Force.
The 320 policemen will be actively involved in a 6-month immersion program across the 34 CSP-cleared barangays.
Their mission encompasses several key objectives, including sustaining the progress achieved by government initiatives delivered to the barangays, preventing any potential resurgence of criminal and terrorist groups and safeguarding the unaffected neighboring communities.
Last month, 583 R-PSB-trained policemen from Eastern Visayas were given the mission in Northern Samar to convince residents of seven priority barangays not to get influenced by the NPA.
Their deployment to the province is a manifestation of PNP’s support to President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ R. Marcos Jr.’s optimism that the NPA problem in the area will be finally resolved by the end of the year.
Acting on instructions from Gen. Acorda, the PNP-DPCR director is supervising the R-PSB programs in the province with the support of the Armed Forces, local government units and non-governmental agencies.
“Thus, R-PSB personnel were sent to the priority barangays to perform their out-of-the-box mandated function as it is the best tool to address the shortcomings of the government in so-called Geographically Isolated and Disadvantageous Areas or GIDAS,” the official said.
The official also recommended that all deployed R-PSB personnel should be given the priority when it comes to the granting of Combat Incentive/Duty Pay or CIP and CDP, which are both special combat allowances in addition to the uniformed personnel base pay.
Gen. Acorda said he wanted the ‘whole-of-nation approach’ launched in Northern Samar to finally defeat the insurgency problem in the province.
Thus, the R-PSB program in Northern Samar was launched by the DPCR as it has been seen by the PNP leadership as key to winning the hearts and minds of the people living in areas with insurgency problems.
Acorda has ordered Okubo to implement the highly-successful R-PSB program nationwide in order for the police to muster the support of the people living in GIDAS territories like Samar.
President Marcos earlier expressed hope that all NPA fronts in Samar will be dismantled by the police and the military this year.
Okubo said that in terms of Counter White Area Operations programs of the government, he is also closely working with the PNP Directorate for Intelligence and their counterparts from the AFP to have an efficient and comprehensive data on different sectors aligned with the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front and its armed wing, the NPA.
The official said his goal is to fully implement the R-PSB program nationwide and eradicate insurgency in GIDAS in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
The move will also help address drug affectation, the 8 Focused Crimes and the presence of CPP/NDF/NPA ‘fronts’ and underground organizations in urban areas.
Okubo supervised the highly-successful R-PSB program of the Police Regional Office 11 in Southern Mindanao when it was still under Lieutenant Gen. Filmore B. Escobal, now the Area Police Command-Eastern Mindanao commander.
He also launched the same program at the PNP-SAF and the National Capital Region Police Office enabling the two units to ‘win the hearts and minds’ of the people while going all-out against terrorists and other enemies of the state.
