Davao CPOC goes for the creation of SCAA

Davao CPOC Special meeting

Davao City – In its City Peace and Order Council (CPOC) special meeting on March 29, 2017 held at Grand Menseng Hotel with Major Gen. Benito De Leon (Ret), head consultant of the Public Safety and Security Command center (PSCC), assessed the security situation in Davao City said that the previously high threat security level in Davao city was now subsided but security elements assumed high threat level to have good posture to defend Davao City and avoid complacency. He said there is a need to augment the security forces by creating the Special CAFGU Armed Auxillaries (SCAA) which was discussed in the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) as a response to the instruction of the President. CAFGU is Civilian Auxillary Forces Geographical Unit under the supervision of the Military.

MGen. Benito "Bennie" De Leon (Ret.)

De Leon said the creation of SCAA was instructed by President Duterte to hasten and defeat the insurgency in Davao region. Putting up CAFGU auxillaries rather than soldiers is more ideal because it takes time to train the latter and more expensive. The presence of SCAA will secure the center and peripheral communities in Davao city and will be well protected. The requirement to become a member of SCAA is most likely the same as the requirement to become a soldier.

The purpose of holding the special CPOC is to pass a resolution creating SCAA and to be submitted to Regional peace and order council (RPOC) and subsequently will be passed to the national government for final approval, as part of the instruction of the President and understood to be funded by the national level. He said the city will not legislate any law creating the SCAA. In the RPOC meeting, the creation of more SCAA was one of the major agendas so that the military will focus in running after the insurgencies and alternatively need territorial forces like SCAA to prevent the repetition of violence in Davao City and a priority program of the President.

De Leon said Probably other provinces in the region will also submit resolution requesting the same for table discussion in the RPOC. The proposal is to establish three companies of SCAA with 120 elements per company or a total of 360 SCAA personnel will be hired. The activation of SCAA is connected to some skirmishes happening in the outskirts of Davao City. The movement of security elements, the Task force Davao will still maintain their security posture to secure Davao City. He  encourage the business groups to form their own SCAA as authorize by law because security is part to protect the business.

PSSCC building, Davao City (courtesy of PSSCC)

De Leon headed the Public Safety and Security Command Center (PSSCC) in Davao City said is a unique office created by the local government provides oversight over the two security offices in Davao City. He said he is acting in behalf of the City Mayor to Oversee the task force Davao which is anti-terror unit in the city and over the Davao City Police office, traffic management office, civil security units, and lately to include the Bureau of  fire, Bureau of Correction and Penology. He said all concerns on safety and security was covered in his responsibilities

The safety and security plan of PSSCC in Davao City is in line with the vision of Mayor Inday Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio in her statement said, "My vision is simple. I want our constituents to have gainful employment, decent housing, educated and healthy children, able to eat three meals a day, and to be safe and secured in their daily activities."

De leon said to oversee and coordinate on every security unit is to ensure not to duplicate their efforts to undertake safety and security measures in the city and see to it also if there are gaps to agree on who will take care in it. The security situation in Davao City has already improved after the bomb blast in September last year. He just assumed office at PSSCC after the Bomb blast.

De Leon asked the different security offices to continuously come and join together to secure Davao City and most of his efforts is more on collaborative meetings and supervision to ensure that all these offices are coordinating with each other. He is happy to note that despite big events held in Davao City like Miss Earth,  Miss Universe visit, the visit of Japanese Prime Minister, especially the launching of ASEAN Chairmanship of President Duterte in January this year, were all succeeded peacefully. He said that the holding of the ASEAN Summit was very successful and secured properly.

De Leon said during those big events, the security sector composed of the military, police and other sectors have joined together and agreed with a plan on how to undertake security and safety measures but despite the many challenges it ended very successfully. 

The then Col. De Leon was the Commander of 104th Brigade Philippine Army based in Iligan City in 2008 after the MOA-AD controversy, now the head consultant of the PSSCC under the office of the City Mayor, Davao City. Reports and photos by Jun Enriquez