Friday, March 07, 2008 RPOC 7 among finalists in search
THE Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) Central Visayas is one of five finalist for the best RPOC in the country.
Representatives of the Department of National Defense (DND) visited Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, RPOC 7 chairperson, to inform her of the development.
The DND officials were met by Garcia; Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Director Ronald Roderos, RPOC vice-chairperson; and Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) Director Carmelo Valmoria.
DND Director Ramon Martinez, chairperson of the national selection and awards committee of the National Peace and Order Council (NPOC), said he heard reports of the programs of RPOC 7 that are commendable.
“Performance at regional level, projects, management style, efficiency of the conduct of meetings of the RPOC,” said Martinez of the criteria.
Martinez also commended the good documentation of RPOC 7, which Garcia credited to Roderos, who she said was very persistent in joining the competition.
The search for best RPOC, however, is only limited to the activities in 2006.
The announcement of the winner is expected in June.
Central Visayas faces stiff competition from Regions 2-Cagayan Valley, 3-Central Luzon, 4B-Mimaropa, 10-Northern Mindanao.
Optimistic
Roderos, however, is optimistic about Region 7’s chance.
“We are the only RPOC which has money na nakalagay sa banko ha, and this can only be disposed through RPOC resolution,” said Roderos.
Garcia told Martinez the same thing. Provincial Treasurer Roy Salubre said that RPOC has a deposit of at least a million pesos.
“We started with none,” said Garcia.
Local Government Units (LGUs) were asked to donate to the council.
Central Visayas also merged the RPOC with the Regional Development Council to save cost.
“It is always (essential) to maintain peace and order before development plans. Anyway, both councils have the same membership,” explained Garcia.
Roderos was the one who collated the 200-page documentation that was passed to NPOC for evaluation.
He admitted that he was persistent in joining the search until Garcia finally tasked him to head the committee.
Roderos told Sun.Star Cebu that he silently made his documentation, never bothering the governor, lest his efforts will not be considered. But it was.
“I didn’t tell you because if hindi mapasama sa top five, mapahiya ako. Eh napasama,” Roderos told Garcia.
Roderos included a clipping of Sun.Star Cebu’s 25 most influential people since some RPOC members are on it. He made special mention of Garcia, Valmoria and himself, who were in yesterday’s meeting with the selection and awards committee.
Martinez agreed that it is part of the documentation as “feedback.”
Programs
Roderos’ documentation included the minutes of every RPOC meeting and the region’s programs in 2006: preparation for the Association of Southeast Asian Summit, the Cebu Provincial Detention Rehabilitation Center activities that eventually became popular in the web, the Provincial Anti-Insurgency Task Force that Garcia said reduced insurgency and criminality.
Other programs are the Swat in rural areas dubbed as the Special Reaction Unit, distribution of military jeepneys, communication gadgets, computers, multicabs and the search for outstanding teams of barangay tanods.
“Makikita naman, ang ganda nang programs nang RPOC (You can see how good the programs of the RPOC are),” Roderos added. (JGA)
