PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief, General Rodolfo S. Azurin Jr. yesterday lauded the significant anti-criminality and anti-insurgency accomplishments scored by the Police Regional Office 7 (PRO7) since last month.

The accomplishments were made by the Central Visayas police force as PRO7 director, former PNP spokesman, Brigadier Gen. Roderick Augustus B. Alba introduced his strategic framework to address and prevent criminality and spur more economic growth in the region.

All in consonance with the M+K+K=K program of Gen. Azurin, the new PRO7 director said he wants his men to learn and internalize the 4Cs to fully succeed in their Community and Service-Oriented Policing or CSOP.

They include the need to establish a ‘clear, coherent, critical-thinking, capability-enhancement and cleansing’ to achieve their goals and mission which is to ‘serve and protect’ the public, he explained.

PRO7 records showed that from October 30 to last November 6, the Central Visayas police force seized over 7.8 kilograms of shabu valued at more than P53.6 million as a result of 114 anti-illegal drug operations which led in the arrest of 161 known drug personalities in the region.

The PRO7’s campaign against all forms of illegal gambling activities during the period likewise led in the arrest of 410 individuals and the confiscation of more than P33,000 in cash bets following the conduct of 151 operations.

In its campaign against loose firearms and other illegal weapons, the PRO7 also confiscated 72 guns and one explosive and arrested 14 suspects. Its Oplan: Katok operations all over Central Visayas likewise led in the recovery of 20 unregistered guns.

On the other hand, 136 wanted persons were accounted for by the regional police force during the period including 23 of the Region’s MWPs.

“With the help of strategic policing initiatives, Team PNP Region 7 accomplished tremendous success, achieving participation down to police stations with outstanding results in a very short amount of time. This translates to the hardworking and sustainable results outlined in the peace and security framework of the Chief, PNP, and the police 4Cs that play a huge role in decreasing crime in Central Visayas,” Brig. Gen. Alba said.

The former PNP spokesperson also said that they are also stepping-up their barangay drug-clearing effort. He said that their 2016 Baseline Data showed that 2,887 Region 7 barangays have been classified as ‘drug-affected’ while 116 were described as ‘drug-unaffected.’

Through the series of barangay drug clearing operations conducted, 1,329 of these drug-affected barangays were already declared as drug-cleared by the Regional Oversight Committee on Barangay Drug Clearing chaired by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency regional chief.

Another 116 classified ‘drug-unaffected barangays’ were already certified as drug-free after successfully passing the Vetting and Confirmation according to Section 14 of Dangerous Drugs Board Regulation No. 4, series of 2021, Brig. Gen. Alba said.

Also, five municipalities in the region were already declared as drug-cleared, including the municipality of Enrique Villanueva in the province of Siquijor and the Cebu municipalities of Poro and San Francisco in Camotes Island, Madridejos in Bantayan Island and Santander.

Brig. Gen. Alba said that moreover, the remaining 1,558 drug-affected barangays for drug clearing were broken down as 675 slightly affected, 834 moderately affected, and 49 were seriously affected.

As of last week, he said 61 candidate barangays and 1 candidate municipality (the municipality of Pilar, Camotes Island, Cebu) are set to be declared as ‘drug-cleared.’

The application folders of these candidate barangays and municipalities have already passed the initial evaluation by the Secretariat of the ROCBDC).

The tentative schedule for the deliberation is on November 22 and 23, 2022.

The official said that from October 12 to November 6, they also recorded a total of 1,478 Peace and Order Indicators regionwide.

“With these, the PNP we’re able to clear and solve 1,443 cases with only 44 cases remaining under investigation. The remaining 44 cases (25 of which are under 8 Focus Crimes) are still an ongoing investigation and are currently subjected to constant follow-up by the assigned Investigators-on-Case,” he explained.

“Evidence is still being gathered to indict the perpetrators for subsequent filing of appropriate charges in court,” he added.

Brig. Gen. Alba pegged the PRO7’s Crime Clearance Efficiency at 97.02 percent while Crime Solution Efficiency is at 87.89 percent.

He said that comparative data between October 12 to November 6, 2021 and the same period in 2022 showed that the region’s Peace and Order Indicator decreased by 6.4 percent compared to the same period last year.

Index crimes showed a significant decline of 31.9 percent mainly attributed to the reduction in the number of focus crimes which decreased by 33.2 percent. Non-index crimes also decreased by 0.47 percent, he said.

“Keeping our community safe is important. Just as the police work tirelessly to keep the community free of crime and the fear of crime. Working together as a community can play a huge role in decreasing crime and promoting safety. Finally, it is important to stay current with crime trends in the community so the public is ready to spot and report any suspicious activities to the authorities,” Brig. Gen. Alba said.

Under Connectivity, he said the police must learn to embrace the functions of technology to enhance operation and communication capabilities to address crimes and critical services to the people.

Moreover, Connectivity is about building a harmonious relationship with the community.

Above all, Connectivity is getting in touch with our faith. The PNP core value “Makadiyos” is a recognition that God is the greatest reliable source of courage and everyday fulfillment of the job of police officers to serve and protect the public, “Brig. Gen. Alba said.

“As law enforcers, the PNP must strive to become beacons of hope, servants of God, and vanguards of humanitarian action while working to maintain peace and security in society.

On the level of urgency and its effect, personnel needs to foster critical thinking to organize and prioritize tasks to finish all deliverables,” he explained.

The erstwhile chief of the PNP Public Information Office said his 3rd program thrust is Capability Enhancement. He explained that improving the personal and logistical capabilities of the police will complement the execution and implementation of the carefully laid-out plans.

His 4th program thrust is Cleansing. “It reminds the personnel highest sense of professionalism and ensures transparency, accountability, and integrity in all aspects of police administration,” he said.

Brig. Gen. Alba also laid down the actionable items aligned with his strategic framework.

First and foremost is his for his officers to exercise accountability and transparency to all commanders on the ground down to the police stations.

Being a former PNP-PIO and spokesperson, he ordered his ground commanders to post on all media platforms available hotline numbers with the photos of the Chiefs of Police and to do press briefings regularly to establish a connection with the public and media.

Brig. Gen. Alba also instructed his men to conduct dialogue concerning issues and security of journalists/media personalities in the region and support the media as the vanguards of transparency and accountability and all sectors of society.