Phase 2 on Community policing-confidence building launch

 

Community policing participants in Munai, Lanao del Norte

Munai, Lanao del Norte - At around 9:00 A.M. on February 2, 2017, the facilitating team of the Community Policing project arrived at Munai, Lanao del Norte as the venue of the first Community Policing-confidence building project for the second phase 2017. The project was implemented by the Bantay Bayanihan partners based in Iligan City and Lanao del Norte, such as the Balay Integrated for Total Human Development (BIRTHDEV), Civil Society Organization Forum for Peace (CSO-FP), Pailig Development Foundation, Inc. (PDFI), Ranao Disaster Response and Rehabilitation Action Center (RDRRAC) and Institute of Peace and Development in Mindanao (IPDM) of MSU-IIT, in partnership with the Security reform Initiative (SRI). There will be a follow-up activities in some other areas such as in Kolambugan and Tagoloan, all of Lanao del Norte, including Iligan City. 

At right, Sir Achmad Musa

Sir Achmad Musa facilitated to open the session and started with a Muslim prayer by Barangay Chairman Said Angni. Achmad introduced the facilitating team and explained the purpose of the Community policing confidence building activity. He said that since the participants and the facilitating team already familiar with each other during the previous meetings the session will proceed to the main discussion of topics. He briefly explained the process to last a maximum of 1.5 hours, first is to have a brief review on community policing and its principles and second the confidence building. He advised the cellphones in silent mode and informed further that it is not a forum to discuss issues or concerns of the police, peace process or the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). It is not about finding faults but building partnerships that can be harnessed towards attaining joint aspirations.

Achmad said that the community policing project intends to promote a new kind of partnership between the community and the police through the promotion of community policing as an ethos in how the police performs its duties and interacts with the community.

During the session the main speaker was Miss Cristina “Tina” Lomoljo, gave a brief review on Community policing as discussed in the first phase with three sessions conducted from 2014 to 2016 and ended on coming up with a toolkit. Tina gave a brief definition of the Community policing for better understanding. Community Policing states that it is a way of thinking and doing or ethos that leads to a strong partnership between the community and police in maintaining peace and security in their respective areas. The Community Policing intends to improve the level and quality of Service that the police delivers to their clientele, the community. In doing so, it would gain the trust and confidence of the community and could strengthen their relationship towards a partnership.

 

Front standing, Miss Tina Lomoljo

The British Council and Security Reform Initiative, together with the Bantay Bayanihan member organizations, are the proponents of the Community Policing Project in the Bangsamoro. Phase Two of the project is being funded by the British Council. A total of 35 communities from the seven (7) provinces in the proposed Bangsamoro core territory in the areas of Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, North Cotabato, Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-tawi, are engaged in the Community Policing Project.

There were several activities conducted in these communities under the phase one: Baseline, Awareness Raising, Consultation, Feedback and Kapihan with local officials. Phase one culminated in the crafting of a community policing strategy and toolkit that is tailored to the context and needs of the seven (7) provinces engaged in the project.

Tina added of informing the participants that the municipality of Parang, Maguindanao is pilot site for the implementation of the Community policing Toolkit. There will be continued activities and engagements with the 34 other communities involved in the project. One such activity is the confidence building activity being conducted recently. It is hoped that Phase three of the project will see the expansion of the pilot implementation to other areas. Tina said that the toolkit was crafted by the Technical working group based on the results of the sessions conducted from the identified communities in the seven provinces in Mindanao including Lanao del Norte. 

Police representative, Senior Police Officer 4 (SPO4) Eldifonso B. Gogo, Municipal Executive Senior Police officer (MESPO), Munai Police office, encouraged the people of filing case and stand as witness against suspects of the crime. He said the Department Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and police have already established cooperation. There were problems encountered during their tour of duty such as theft, illegal drugs, among other crimes and these Problems might not be solved if police and community will have no cooperation. Most of the cases of the people in Munai were properly investigated and mostly were settled amicably based on cultural practices.

SPO4 Eldifonso Gogo

SPO4 Gogo said they conducted pulong-pulong in the Barangay and urged the people to attend the event in order to participate and discuss problems in the barangay. He also urged the people to approach the police anytime of their convenience. The relationship of the community and police in Munai is quite good. The Munai police can be reached at hotline mobile phone no. 0916-160-0828 for any emergencies. Police have already established contacts with the Barangay Chairmen to have better communication. However, it was observed that no one from the participants have visited the police precinct for lack of information how to approach the police.    

The Police community relations or PCR, through Police officer 3 (PO3) Janine Suzette C. Natinga said that they considered the importance of police partnership with the community. She urged the people in the  community to cooperate and give their trust to the police. She said they also conducted “Tokhang” or “toktok hangyo”, knock and appeal to suspected drug users and pushers to stop the illegal activity. They also have services on women and children police department (WCPD) to cater problems on women and children abuses.

Awarding of megaphone to police 

Some reaction from participants observed that the image of the police was affected and the people’s trust was also affected due to the issues on kidnapping, link to illegal drugs and “tokhang” for ransom. PO3 Natinga said that only two percent of police force are bad as pronounced by PNP Chief Ronald "Bato" de la Rosa.

Sir Achmad Musa asked the participants about the status of the police and communities in Munai. The participants responded that they trust the police in Munai and they added that Police in Munai is better than Manila police because they did not commit crimes against the people. VAWC is not so much an issue in Maranao community especially in Munai because they settled immediately at the culture level. Miss Tina also explained about the issue on human trafficking that deception is present upon recruitment and brought to far places promise for work and will receive big salary but in reality it is in the opposite situation and some victims fall in white slavery.

Impressions of participants, from Barangay Chairman Said Angni of Barangay Maganding said that he was very thankful of awareness sharing the issue on human trafficking and also became aware the presence of the police purposely is to protect the people and sharing police hotline for emergency purposes. Rasmia Dansal, a women's leader  was very thankful that the partnership of the police and community become a reality. Reports and photos by Jun Enriquez.