THE Davao City Police Office (DCPO) deployed more than 200 police personnel to ensure peace and order during the hour-long State of the City Address (Soca) 2024 of Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte.
In his third Soca on Tuesday afternoon, August 6, 2024, Duterte surprised his audience, city councilors, and local agency heads as he delivered his speech at Rizal Park, San Pedro Square, which is much more public and closer to his people.
The majority of the personnel augmented were from the San Pedro Police Station, Traffic Enforcement Unit (TEU), and Special Weapons and Tactics (Swat).
DCPO spokesperson Hazel Tuazon told Davao reporters that the event has ended “generally peaceful” with no untoward incidents reported.
One of the concerns and issues Duterte has pointed out was last June’s simultaneous appointment of DCPO chiefs in one day. He said that he was not informed by the Philippine National Police (PNP)-Davao regional office on the changes. However, despite the controversies surrounding the matter, he will still give the newly appointed DCPO chief, Colonel Hansel Marantan, a chance.
“Ang PNP, ang regional office nila [PRO-Davao] gikambyohan atong city director three times without my consultation; gi-bypass ko ana. Like I said in my previous interviews, we will have to wait and see kung unsa bay epekto ani. Pero baga ang politika karon, lisod. Para nako lang, kaning city director nato karon [Marantan], I want to give him a chance. Kay katong usa, una-una man gitubag na nako kanang RD [Torre], pero kani, og maayo, nganong dili man pud” Duterte said.
(The PNP, their regional office [PRO-Davao] changed our city director three times without my consultation; they bypassed me. Like I said in my previous interviews, we will have to wait and see the impact of this. But this has been the challenge of politics today. For me, the City Director now [Marantan], I want to give him a chance. I already have my answer on RD [Torre], but this one, well, why not).
He hopes that Marantan can maintain the culture of peace and order in the city, saying “basta buhaton ang trabaho og ma-maintain ang status quo, which all of us ganahan man pud ta, satisfied man ta sa current peace and order situation nato, og ma-maintain lang to, wala man tay problema ana.”
(As long as he will do his job in maintaining the status quo, which we all like. We are satisfied with our current peace and order situation, as long as he can maintain it, we have no problem with that). DEF