DESPITE the celebrated case of murdered 38-year old Davao City model and businesswoman Yvonne Chua Plaza which is now considered solved with the identification and filing of charges against the suspects, Davao City and the rest of Southern Mindanao remain generally peaceful, thanks to the hard work being done by the Police Regional Office 11 and their Armed Forces counterparts.

Large credit should be given to the PRO11 regional director, Brigadier General Benjamin ‘Benjie’ Silo Jr., a no-nonsense policeman-lawyer who got the top Southern Mindanao police post on March 1 last year, the height of police preparations to ensure a peaceful and credible national and local elections.

Silo, one of the youngest RDs at present, has silently worked to ensure that all programs of PNP chief, General Jun Azurin to keep peace and order in Southern Mindanao including Davao City which is home to former President Rodrigo Duterte, his daughter, Vice-President and Department of Education Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio and current Mayor Baste Duterte, the former strongman’s youngest son, will be working like a well-oiled machine.

Last week, Brig. Gen. Silo, a former director of the PNP Information Technology Management Service, went on public to announce the solution of the December 28 killing of Plaza. The Special Investigation Task Group Plaza last January 24 filed criminal cases for murder, theft and obstruction of justice against the accused led by Army Brig. Gen. Jess Durante III, a former Presidential Security Group commander during the time of President Duterte.

All the accused are now under the custody of the Philippine Army and are expected to face a court martial that will give them the chance to defend themselves. Expect the SITG Plaza to present solid evidence and witnesses that would bolster the cases against the suspects.

The Chua-Plaza killing actually was committed as the PRO11 last year said that major crimes in Southern Mindanao went down by 25 percent compared to their 2011 records. In short, cases of murder, homicide, robbery and theft decreased by 13 percent or 1,395 in 2022 compared to the 1,610 cases in 2021.

On the other hand, non-index crimes in Davao region also went down by 25.77 percent or 23,569 in 2022 compared to the 31,753 in 2021. The PRO11 attributed the significant reduction in focused crimes in the region to their continuing conduct of the Simultaneous Anti-Criminality Law Enforcement Operations or SACLEO, otherwise known as the PNP ‘One-Time, Big-Time’ anti-criminality operations in the region.

Last year also saw the PRO11 going all-out against illegal drug dealers in the region resulting in the conduct of 2,161 anti-narcotics operations which led in the confiscation of more than P42 million worth of shabu and other prohibited drugs. The local police force also accounted for more than 1,200 loose firearms amid their intensified effort to account for illegal guns that could be used to commit violence in the streets.

The major PRO11 anti-crime accomplishments were dished out by its spokesperson, Major Eudisan Gultiano weeks after the Southern Mindanao police force received a high trust rating from the public.

According to a local newspaper, a survey conducted by the Mindanao Development Authority showed that the PRO11 received a 91 percent trust rating from the respondents who clearly appreciated the good work being done by the local police force specifically in Davao City which is considered as among the safest cities in the country.

At present, the PRO11 is hell-bent on keeping Davao region as one of the safest places in the country and a haven for tourists and retirement. In particular, the regional police force is making sure that Davao City will keep its reputation as one of the safest cities to live in The Philippines and even the world due to its low crime rate and proactive approach to safety.

Since March 2022, the PRO11 has not given criminals specifically drug personalities in the region a sound sleep as a result of their SACLEOs. Last week alone, two armed suspects were killed in separate gunfights with undercover officers and 17 other known drug personalities were arrested in the region.

One of the suspects identified as Ronnel Cabariana, tagged as the 5th most wanted drug trafficker in Cebu City died in an encounter with undercover officers in Purok 18, Gem Village in Barangay Ma-a, Davao City around 9:25 p.m. last Friday.

Recovered from the possession of the slain suspect were two grams of shabu worth P13,600, an unlicensed caliber .38 revolver with two spent cartridges and four live ammunition and the P10,000 buy-bust money topped by a marked P1,000 bill. The suspect shot it out with officers in front of the Escoda Elementary School.

A 2nd suspect identified as Ronald Escarpe alias ‘Nonat,’ tagged as the no. 1 top drug dealer in Davao City was killed in a firefight with undercover officers near the Ramos National High School in Alegria Road, Barangay Angliongto in Davao City past 11:30 p.m. last Sunday.

The slain 30-year old suspect from Isla Verde, Bgy. 23-C yielded nine plastic sachets containing four grams of suspected shabu value at P27,200, the P11,000 worth of buy-bust money topped by a marked P500 bill and a cal. .38 revolver with two live ammunition and four spent cartridges.

The other suspects, majority of them listed as ‘high-value targets’ were arrested in a series of anti-drug operations in the region which resulted in the seizure of nearly P400,000 worth of shabu, the buy-bust money and an unlicensed gun.