Duterte calls on persons-with-authority establish rapport with soldiers

DAVAO CITY, Oct 1 (PIA) Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, chair of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) in Davao Region urged mayors, barangay chairs and teachers and persons with authority to establish good rapport with the security sector to harmonize relationships in responding to the needs of the people, particularly safety and security.

 He made the statement during the RPOC 3rd Quarter meeting Wednesday, following an interview where leaders of the Island Garden City of Samal allegedly called for the soldiers to come amid the abduction in the Ocean View Resort where three foreign nationals and one Filipinas were taken away by eleven armed men and consequently claimed that no one responded.

 “It takes more than just knowing that the soldiers are there.  You have to go out also and talk to them and establish good rapport,” Duterte said.

 He underscored that under the administrative law, persons with authority like the mayors, barangay chairs and educators must connect with the soldiers not only when there is a need for action.

Duterte said persons in government must work as one with cohesion.

“If the soldiers do not want to go to your office, you go to their camp and talk,” he said citing that it is the protocol he follows where he no longer waits to be invited by the soldiers to talk about the problems affecting the community.

Duterte described the abduction in the Ocean View resort at the IGACOS as a case of Murphy’s Law.

The Wikipedia defines Murphy’s Law as a saying which says, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”

“If it happened in Dos Palmas in Palawan, it can also happen in Samal,” he said.

Duterte surmised that the Abu Sayyaf Group truly identifies its target.

He said when the abductors entered in the premises of the resort, they divided themselves into two groups and searched for their targets.

“There are speculations that it has something to do either with money or the extortion activities of the enemies of the state,” Duterte said.

He also believed that somewhere in the Davao Gulf, the abductors were fetched with speedboats using powerful engines since they were able to reach Sulu in just six hours.

“It is definite that they are in Jolo,” Duterte said.

The Police Regional Office 11 reported that the abduction in IGACOS was a major setback in the security set up of Davao Region even if it was considered as an isolated incident since it grossly affected the tourism industry.

Senior Superintendent Michael John Dubria, chief of the Regional Plans Division of the PRO 11 in his report said strong partnership and collaboration among stakeholders is a strong factor against any untoward incident.

 “Strengthened, proactive security measures lessen the vulnerability of the public from any and all criminal activities,” he said.  (PIA 11-Joey Sem G. Dalumpines)