THE Davao City Police Office (DCPO) bid farewell to PCol. Alberto Lupaz and welcomed its new City Director, PCol. Richard Bad-ang, in a turn-over ceremony at the Camp Captain Domingo E. Leonor on March 22.
Bad-ang, now the DCPO's 16th city director, served as the Area Police Command-Eastern Mindanao chief and as the Intelligence Unit chief of the DCPO. He was also head of the Police Complaint Review Board (PCRB) and chief of Central Visayas’ Philippine National Police (PNP) finance service.
In a speech, Bad-ang introduced his agenda, dubbed POPC, to further improve the safety and security situation in the city.
“My priority programs in order to sustain the gains of my predecessors in the fight against criminality, terrorism, and illegal drugs will focus on (P) personnel morale and welfare, (O) optimal utilization of assets, (P) preventive and aggressive law enforcement, and (C) community engagement,” he said.
Bad-ang’s focus programs puts the morale of 2,437 DCPO personnel among his top priorities, saying that police forces that are well-taken care of will perform better in the service of the public. It also puts emphasis on optimizing resources and keeping up with digitalization and modernization efforts.
The POPC program also aims to expand community relation and cooperation. As such, Bad-ang said police officers will work closely and coordinate with community leaders to identify and address areas of concern.
“I believe that community policing is an essential component of any successful law enforcement agency. That is why I am committed to fostering stronger relationships between police officers and the community they serve,” he said.
“This police office will operate with transparency, earnestness, and respect for people regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality, and other characteristics,” Bad-ang added.
The event was attended by Mayor Sebastian Duterte, Police Regional Office XI Deputy Regional Director for Administration PBGen Wilson Soliba, PRO XI RPRMD Chief PCol Solomon de Castilla, Task Force Davao Col. Darren Comia, Public Safety and Security Office Head Angel Sumagaysay, City Councilor Luna Acosta, and uniform and non-uniform officials. CIO