REGIONAL Peace and Order Council Chairman and Baguio City Mayor Mauricio Domogan has set the 2018 first quarter meeting of the Regional Peace and Order Council in Baguio City to thresh out measures regarding peace and development initiatives in the region.
Domogan, who chairs the council, asked the National Economic and Development Authority – Cordillera regional director Mila Rimando during the weekly “Ugnayang Panlunsod” to schedule the meeting for February 23.
"Under our mandate as Regional Peace and Order and development chairman, we are required to have four meetings in a year in the different provinces of the region. And it is our hope that we will be able to meet and discuss with the newly installed Police Regional Director and Army commander the Peace and Order initiatives for this year," Domogan said.
The RDC and RPOC was created to ensure the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals through the conduct of the Regional Workshop on National / Regional Strategic Priorities and Sustainable Development Goals, aside from ensuring the strong presence of peace and order in the Cordillera's.
"We need to focus on reducing crimes in the region which would encourage future investments in the Cordillera, ensuring economic development," Domogan pointed out.
Among the agenda during the meeting is the continuing fight against illegal drugs, extremism and anti-terrorism among others.
"To our constituents, be wary because the fight against illegal drugs will again be the major focus of our Philippine National Police in the region. Extremism must also be monitored continuously. Let us not wait for our city or any part of the region to be bombed by people involved in extremism," Domogan added.
The mayor also urged his fellow local officials and members of the RPOC to intensify their massive information and education campaign regarding the government’s anti-terrorism efforts to help spare their areas from being invaded by terrorists who want to wreck havoc and ruin the prevailing peace and order situation in their areas of jurisdiction and prevent violence and bloodshed from happening around the country.