ACTING on instructions from Philippine National Police chief, General Benjamin C. Acorda Jr., PNP Director for Police-Community Relations on Tuesday flew to Northern Samar to launch their Revitalized-Pulis sa Barangay or R-PSB program which the PNP leadership sees as a key to winning the hearts and minds of the people living in areas with insurgency problem.

The R-PSB program will be fully implemented by the Police Regional Office 8 headed by Brigadier Gen. Vincent S. Calanoga under the supervision of Maj. Gen. Okubo amid Camp Crame’s decision to have it launched in the region where President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ R. Marcos Jr. earlier expressed confidence that the decades-long insurgency problem in the Samar provinces will end this year.

Maj. Gen. Okubo described Samar as the ‘last bastion of insurgency’ in Eastern Visayas region. Under the R-PSB program, police personnel will be sent to ‘live with the people, eat with he people and work with the people in the barangay.’

He said that he program aims to sustain the gains of the government programs, prevent the resurgence of insurgency and insulate the unaffected communities.

Maj. Gen. Okubo said he will preside over a Regional Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Council with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and local government units to solicit their full support to the PNP’s R-PSB program as their contribution to the directive of President Marcos to end insurgency in Samar before the end of the year.

Gen. Acorda has ordered Okubo to implement the highly-successful R-PSB program nationwide in order for the police to further gain the support of the people living in so-called Geographically Isolated and Disadvantageous Areas like Samar and help them turn their back from the New People’s Army.

President Marcos last Friday expressed hope that all NPA fronts in Samar will be dismantled by the police and the military this year. He also commended government troops in the region specifically those stationed in Northern Samar for their continuing effort to stop the insurgency problem.

Under their R-PSB program, police will be assigned in communities in Samar known for having a heavy NPA influence so that they can bring real government service to the people.

Presence of the NPA which is known for exacting so-called ‘revolutionary tax’ and attacking companies who fail to heed their demand is a major factor why investors are shying away from Northern Samar.

President Marcos expressed optimism that Northern Samar would be already ‘insurgency-free’ when he visits it again.

The PNP leadership would be bringing its vaunted R-PSB program to the region under the supervision of Maj. Gen. Okubo who also brought the same program to the PNP Special Action Force and the National Capital Region Police Force when he was still the commander of the two major PNP units.

Maj. Gen. Okubo said that in terms of Counter White Area Operations programs of the government, he also intends to closely work 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 NPOA.

The official said they will also heavily focus on activities with the communities before and during the July 24 State-of-the-Nation-Address by President Marcos on Monday.

“This is part of our program to prioritize the strengthening of police-community engagement, part of the new role of the DPCR which is aligned with the Chief,PNP’s 4-focused agenda particularly on community engagement,” Maj. Gen. Okubo said.

The official said his goal is to fully implement the R-PSB program nationwide and eradicate insurgency in so-called GIDAS in some parts of 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 of the country.

Maj. Gen. Okubo was the one who supervised the highly-successful R-PSB program of the Police Regional Office 11 in Southern Mindanao when it was still under Brig. Gen., now Lieutenant Gen. Filmore B. Escobal, now the Area Police Command-Eastern Mindanao commander.

He also launched the same program at the PNP-SAF last year, enabling the SAF to ‘win the hearts and minds’ of the people while going all-out against terrorists and other Enemies of the State.

The R-PSB program has seen PRO11 and PNP-SAF troopers building roads, small bridges, artesian wells, water system, schools and even small churches while providing government service to the poorest of the poor especially those living in poor areas.

Maj. Gen. Okubo said the R-PSB program in Metro Manila was particularly successful in urban areas specifically in Barangay 166 in Caloocan City where R-PSB personnel managed to convince informal settlers occupying a 320-meter road of the Mindanao Avenue Extension for more than 20 years to relocate in order to allow the Department of Public Works and Highways to link the Mindanao Avenue Extension State 2 project. The informal settlers were known to have agitated by leftist groups before.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Alfred P. Dalizon