PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) personnel are continuing their efforts to provide service to the people living in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantageous Areas (GIDAS), the PNP Director for Police-Community Relationship said Saturday.

“We are giving our best effort to help the poor specifically those living in areas formerly known to be under the influence of the New People’s Army as part of our program to finally put an end to the decades-long local communist armed conflict,” said Major General Edgar Alan O. Okubo told the Journal Group.

The official said the program is being spearheaded by members of the Revitalized-Pulis sa Barangay or R-PSB teams of the national police force in different parts of Samar, Bicol and Mindanao.

This week, R-PSB Region 8 officers built a makeshift bridge in Sitio Lubog in Brgy. Pagsang-an in San Roque, Northern Samar to help the people gain easy access to the town proper.

Another R-PSB Team in Camarines Sur also installed 10 solar-powered street lights in Brgy. Añog in Sagñay last Friday.

The presence of the street lights were fully appreciated by residents who have long been complaining of dark areas which make their place dangerous at nighttime.

Okubo said the two R-PSB Teams got ample support from the police and other stakeholders.

Early this week, an R-PSB Team from Eastern Visayas built a small house for a poor elderly couple in San Roque, Northern Samar.

The R-PSB Bantayan Team launched the Police Regional Office-8 PANDAYanihan House Renovation Project after discovering the deplorable situation of the elderly couple.

It turned out that Lolo Ricardo, who is suffering from hernia, and Lola Maria have no income and are in dire need of food to survive.

“Their labor of love culminated in the transformation of Lolo Ricardo and Lola Maria’s shanty into a humble abode,” said Okubo, who is also supervising the PNP’s R-PSB program to help bring government service to poor Filipinos living in isolated parts of the country.

The official commended the R-PSB team of the PRO8 under Brigadier Gen. Reynaldo H. Pawid for a job well done in bridging the much closer relationship between the community and the police force.

Members of the R-PSB Bantayan team were among the nearly 300 PRO8 policemen who were deployed to conduct community engagement activities in Brgy. Coroconog, Balnasan, Balud, Pagsang-an, Malobago, Lawaan and Bantayan in San Roque last year as part of the PNP’s continuing effort to counter the New People’s Army insurgency in the region.