ABOUT 1,300 personnel of Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO), and employees of the Department of Education (DepEd) and Bacolod City Government Center joined the simultaneous cleanup and re-painting of vandalized street walls in Bacolod City Saturday.
This is in line with the City Government and police’s intensified campaign against vandalism.
The activity kicked off after a program was held at the Bacolod public plaza last spearheaded by City Administrator John Orola.
Dubbed “Bacolod, Palangga Ko” (I love you, Bacolod), the activity was participated by personnel of 10 police stations deployed to various areas, particularly in Barangay Bata, Bacolod public plaza, Capitol Shopping Center, near Rizal Elementary School, and Education and Training Center School-III to implement Oplan Facelift, a project under Superintendent Roderick Minong, officer-in-charge of BCPO.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia said in a press statement that he ordered for massive cleanup and repainting of walls with graffiti on streets, public markets, and thoroughfares.
Orola said, “(a)ll public markets, streets and government properties were among the top priorities in the cleanup drive.”
The cleanup drive was part of the preparation for the three-day National Union of Career Executive Officers General Assembly slated on November 21 to 23.
Around 1,000 delegates from all over the country are coming, Orola said.
Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno and Transportation Undersecretary Cesar Chavez are expected to arrive for the said event.
Senior Inspector Armilyn Vargas, public information officer of BCPO, said the activity was conducted after Chief Superintendent Cesar Binag, director of Police Regional Office-Western Visayas, saw vandalized walls in some areas, where policemen were deployed.
“He (Binag) ordered the BCPO to participate in the cleanup drive to help the city beautify its street walls and even walls of private establishments that were vandalized,” Vargas added.
She said the BCPO has already started intensifying its anti-vandalism drive during the stint of Senior Superintendent Jack Wanky, former BCPO acting director, through Project Facelift.
Vargas said they were able to arrest violators, and even trace groups that continue to vandalize the street walls.