The Regional Peace and Order Council – National Capital Region held its 3rd Regular meeting on September 29, 2021 via Zoom teleconferencing.

In addition to its regular agenda, the meeting also discussed with the Local Chief Executives of the region, pressing Peace and Order concerns given the implementation of the new alert level systems, sufficiency in the supply of medical oxygen, and worries about possible terror attacks in the country based on raw information circulating online.

RPOC-NCR Chairperson and Paranaque City Mayor Edwin L. Olivarez, set the direction of the meeting by encouraging the Council’s members to focus not only on peace and order and public safety issues but also in ensuring that local communities are disaster risk-free, pedestrian-friendly and healthy, especially in the face of the still ever present danger that COVID-19 poses.

Representatives from Quezon City and Paranaque City apprised the committee of the peace and order situation in their respective jurisdictions in light of the implementation of the new alert levels system and the granular lockdowns in the region. The ensuing discussions focused on the deployment of personnel to enforce granular lockdowns, attend to the needs of those affected by providing food packs and other forms of assistance, and intensify safety and security protocols.

The Department of Trade and Industry – National Capital Region (DTI-NCR) and the Department of Health – Metro Manila Center for Health and Development (DOH-MMCHD) also presented the status of oxygen tank supply in NCR and assured the Council that supplies are sufficient and are readily available in the market as cases rise.

On the subject of possible terrorist threats in NCR as reported in various news outlets, the Council’s Special Action Committee on Crime and Disorder and Violent Extremism and Insurgency (SAC on CADVEI) provided an overview of Regional Joint Memorandum Circular (RJMC) No. 1, series of 2019, which refers to the Security Protocol on Crisis Management.

Moreover, the SAC on CADVEI raised the need to update and possibly amend the RJMC in view of the pandemic and the reported possibility of terror attacks in the country. The SAC on CADVEI will organize meetings and writeshops to update the RJMC by October and the results thereof will be disseminated to all NCR-LGUs for appropriate action.

The lead agencies of the Council’s Special Action Committees (SACs) likewise presented their SAC’s accomplishments for the current quarter, specifically on Anti-illegal Drugs (AID), Crime and Disorder and Violent Extremism and Insurgency (CADVEI), Public Safety (PS), and Administrative Governance (AG). Generally, these activities involved giving periodic updates and developments on their areas of concern as well as holding webinars and workshops aimed at capacity building.

The meeting also served as a platform for the virtual awarding ceremony for the winners and top placers of the two (2) contests launched by RPOC among Barangay Sanggunian Kabataan (SK) and NCR LGUs for the Search for the Best Road Safety Campaign in the New Normal and the Best Video in the Anti-Illegal Drugs Campaign, respectively.

The top five (5) winners in the Search for the Best Road Safety Campaign in the New Normal were: First Place – SK of Brgy. St. Ignatius, Quezon City, Second Place – SK of Brgy. San Isidro Galas, Quezon City, Third Place – SK of Brgy. Ecopa IV, Quezon City. The fourth and fifth places were won by the SK of Brgy. 335 Manila and SK of Brgy. Tunasan, Muntinlupa.

The award for Best Video in the Anti-illegal Drugs Campaign were given to the top five (5) entries: First Place – Mandaluyong City, Second Place – City of Manila, Third Place – Pasay City. The fourth and fifth placers were Pasig City and Muntinlupa City, respectively.

Three RPOC resolutions were also approved during the meeting. The first Resolution enjoined Local Chief Executives (LCEs) to support the harmonized advocacy in local universities and colleges against the recruitment and exploitation of the youth by communist terrorist groups. The second involves the inclusion of Mandaluyong City’s award-winning Video presentation on Anti-Illegal Drugs in all of RPOC’s Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities. The third resolution adopts the slogan “Manatili sa Tamang Linya, Ayusin ang Distansya” in the road safety campaign of NCR LGUs.

As a Peace and Order Council, Olivarez underscored that “RPOC’s policy objectives should not only address the issues that challenge the safety of our communities, it should also seek to ensure the productivity and health of every citizen amid the still ever present danger that the pandemic poses”.