The Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) XIII – Caraga convenes for the Third Quarter of CY 2023 on September 7, 2023 at Lope A. Asis Memorial Gymnasium, Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur. It was presided by Hon. Alexander T. Pimentel, Governor of the Province of Surigao del Sur, RPOC Chairperson of Region XIII (Caraga).

Prior to the order of business, RPOC Chairperson Governor Alexander T. Pimentel administered the oath of office to the new Regional Director of the Philippine National Police of Region XIII – Caraga, PBGEN Kirby John Brion Kraft as the new RPOC Vice Chairperson.

Meanwhile, the new DILG XIII - Caraga Regional Director: Ms. Maria Loisella E. Lucino, CESO V was also formally introduced as the new RPOC Head Secretariat.

Reports on the Special Action Committees on Anti-Criminality, Insurgency and Violent Extremism, Public Safety, and Anti- Extortion to Address Communist Terrorist Groups’ (CTGs’) Resource Generation were presented by the Philippine National Police (PNP) PRO XIII, 4^th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) to the members for information and discussion.

The DILG, as the RPOC XIII Secretariat also presented the accomplishment and updates of the Council, including the 2022 Peace and Order Council (POC) Performance Audit and the 2022 Anti-Drug Abuse Council (ADAC) Performance Audit, the results of which  was utilized in the 2023 Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) in measuring LGU Performance under Safety, Peace and Order (SPO) Governance Area.

The National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) – Caraga also introduced the “Resist Crime Project” of Caraga State University (CSU) to the Council with its aim to curtail criminality and hasten crime efficiency solution, including response time by utilizing the geographic information system and/or geo-tagging.

Six (6) RPOC Resolutions were approved and adopted by the Council during the meeting, the following were:

Resolution No. 16, Series of 2023: “A RESOLUTION RECONSTITUTING THE MEMBERS OF THE REGIONAL PEACE AND ORDER COUNCIL (RPOC) XIII – CARAGA”

Resolution No. 17, Series of 2023: “A RESOLUTION RECONSTITUTING THE COMPOSITION OF THE REGIONAL PEACE AND ORDER COUNCIL (RPOC) XIII – CARAGA SECRETARIAT”

Resolution No. 18, Series of 2023: “A RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF BUDGET AND MANAGEMENT (DBM) FOR THE RELEASE OF FUNDS TO ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-ONE (161) FORMER REBELS (FRs) UNDER THE ENHANCED COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL INTEGRATION PROGRAM (ECLIP) for REGION XIII – CARAGA IN THE AMOUNT OF SIXTEEN MILLION TWO HUNDRED EIGHTY THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED FORTY-ONE PESOS AND TWENTY-SEVEN CENTAVOS (PHP 16,280,241.27)”

Resolution No. 19, Series of 2023: “A RESOLUTION ENDORSING TO ATTY. BENJAMIN C. ABALOS, JR., SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT (DILG) IN HIS CAPACITY AS THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE NATIONAL POLICE COMMISSION THE LETTER FROM MR. GREGIE L. PIMENTEL REGARDING THE ALLEGED IRREGULARITY ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF POLICE OPERATION”

Resolution No. 20, Series of 2023: “A RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT – BUREAU OF JAIL MANAGEMENT AND PENOLOGY (DILG – BJMP) TO ESTABLISH DISTRICT, CITY AND MUNICIPAL JAILS IN THE REGION TO DECONGEST ALL THE PROVINCIAL JAILS”

Resolution No. 21, Series of 2023: “A RESOLUTION REQUESTING FOR PROVINCIAL AND CITY GOVERNMENTS TO PROVIDE FUNDING FOR THE RESIST – CRIME PROJECT, WITH THE SIX (6) CITIES TO CONTRIBUTE IN THE AMOUNT OF PHP 50,000.00 AND THE FIVE (5) PROVINCES TO CONTRIBUTE IN THE AMOUNT OFPHP 300,000.00, RESPECTIVELY”

The Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) of Caraga sustains its commitment in ensuring the safety and security of the people in Caraga through the promotion and implementation peace-building initiatives in the region.

by LGOO VI Florian Faith Jr. P. Bayawa