PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has appointed Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. as the chairperson of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) for Western Visayas.

Defensor will take his oath of office before Duterte on October 28, 2019 at the Malacañang Palace.

The governor vowed to help in maintaining peace and order in the region, as well as in the campaign to end insurgency.

"We will deliver what is expected of us," he said.

Defensor was likewise nominated as chair of the Regional Development Council (RDC) for Western Visayas.

RDC is the highest regional policy-making body and serves as the counterpart of the National Economic and Development Authority. It is also the president who will appoint the RDC chair.

"Councils are made primarily as policy-making bodies and their powers are recommendatory. RPOC is made with the same purpose. It's just that the focus is on peace," Defensor said. (PR)