Interior and Local Government Sec. Benhur Abalos. INQUIRER file photo / NINO JESUS ORBETA
MANILA, Philippines – About 1,477 of the 1,715 local government units across the country have “functional” peace and order councils (POCs) for 2021, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said on Friday.
According to Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr., this favorable figure is “a clear manifestation of [their] adherence to peace and order-related laws and policies.”
“We recognize the efforts of these 1,477 LGUs to continuously deliver good performance in promoting programs and policies aimed at intensifying peace and order in their respective jurisdictions and protecting citizens from the bad elements of our society,” Abalos said in a statement.
He further detailed that the following regional POCs obtained a functional status in the DILG’s performance audit for last year:
- Ilocos Region
- Cagayan Valley
- Central Luzon
- Calabarzon
- Metro Manila
- Cordillera Administrative Region
- Mimaropa
- Bicol
- Western Visayas
- Central Visayas
- Zamboanga Peninsula
- Northern Mindanao
- Davao Region
- Soccsksargen
- Caraga
- Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
Abalos pointed out that the latest assessment is annually conducted to “evaluate the functionality of regional, provincial, city and municipal POCs, acknowledge the innovations done by the POCs and their secretariats, enhance POC strategies and interventions and build an avenue to showcase the best practices of the POCs.”
He also outlined the considerations of the DILG in evaluating the POCs’ overall performance, which include their compliance to the prescribed membership composition, the number of meetings they conducted, their three-year term-based plan and budget allocation, their submitted accomplishment reports, their innovative programs on peace, order and public safety, and the general supervision of higher POCs over lower POCs.
LGUs employing “modern strategies” will also be given additional points, Abalos added.
To be eligible for the Seal of Good and Local Governance, Abalos explained that POCs must earn a score of at least 65 percent to pass the audit and must not receive a score lower than 50 percent in any of its main criteria.
Abalos then restated a memorandum circular from the DILG in 2019, which mandates POCs in all levels “to ensure the effective and efficient programs, projects, and activities aimed to curb anti-criminality, anti-insurgency, and anti-illegal drugs to ensure peace and order, and public safety.” Trisha Manalaysay, INQUIRER.net intern