The Regional Peace and Order Council – National Capital Region (RPOC-NCR) held its full council meeting for the fourth quarter on December 9, 2021 at The Blue Leaf Filipinas in Parañaque City.

In a message read before the full Council, RPOC-NCR Chairman and Parañaque City Mayor Edwin L. Olivarez highlighted ongoing efforts to fight the pandemic while emphasizing the need for agile and anticipatory policies and action plans to beat the once-in-a-lifetime health emergency. Moving forward, the Chairman anticipates building on the collective strength of council members to achieve what he sees as the Smart Normal, a refinement of past efforts aimed at returning to a semblance of normal life under COVID-19.

The RPOC took up a full agenda, among which are individual presentations by the heads of the five Special Action Committees (SACs) on their respective areas of concern and plans and ways forward for the calendar year 2022.

PMGen. Vicente D. Danao, Jr., Regional Director of NCRPO, presented for the SAC on Crime and Disorder (CAD), and BGen. Marceliano V. Teofilo, Commander of JTF-NCR, presented for the SAC on Violent Extremism and Insurgency (VEI). The joint committee’s plans for 2022 involve expanding employment opportunities for the Muslim working class and thereby countering the recruitment efforts of Communist Terrorist Groups (CTGs). The SACs also plan to intensify Barangay peacekeeping work as well as implement the provisions of the Regional Joint Memorandum Circular (JRMC) No. 2021-01-1.

For his part, IA V Beltran T Lacap, representing Regional Director Christian O. Frivaldo of PDEA-NCR and head of the SAC on Anti-Illegal Drugs (AID), discussed plans to document the Best Practices of LGUs on their anti-illegal drug campaigns in 2022 by producing videos and collateral materials on the subject, with the possible inclusion of advocacies against smoking and alcohol abuse.

FCSupt. Gilbert D. Dolot, Regional Director of BFP-NCR and Head of SAC for Public Safety (PS), discussed plans to lobby Congress for augmentation of funds for NCRPO, BJMP, PDEA, and BFP for the fiscal year 2022. They will also push for the development of a database and the mapping of fire-prone areas in the NCR. Additional training on fire protection is also planned for 2022.

The SAC for Administrative Governance (AG), chaired by DILG-NCR Assistant Regional Director Ana Lyn Baltazar-Cortez, will focus on more intensive capacity building in the areas of Systems Thinking and Crisis Management with RPOC member agencies and LGU functionaries as target trainees. The SAC will also intensify its engagement with international and online sources of capacity development interventions.

Several other matters were taken up after the SAC presentations, including the virtual signing of RJMC No. 2021-01-1 with the subject “Security And Safety Protocol on Incident Management in Malls and Select Tourism Enterprises” which amended RJMC No. 2019-01 dated June 3, 2019. The RJMC was signed digitally using tablets.

The amended RJMC updates the health and security protocols to be followed inside Malls and primary and secondary tourism enterprises; the joint memorandum also institutionalizes the engagement between these enterprises and regional-level agencies and LGUs. The RJMC calls for the adoption, among others, of incident management practices and gender-sensitive security measures. Drills and training activities are likewise envisioned to be conducted among the entities concerned.

After the RJMC signing, Mr. Aniceto M. Sobrepena, President of the Metrobank Foundation, Inc., presented the 2022 Search for Outstanding Filipinos, an annual event sponsored by the foundation, and invited nominations from the Council members.

Mr. Ruel Punongbayan, Senior Program Officer of International Alert Philippines, the next presenter, briefed the Council on the Conflict Alert and Critical Events Monitoring System (CACEMS) being employed in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

After the presentations, four RPOC resolutions were formally adopted; three in support of the preceding agenda items: The Metrobank Foundation’s Outstanding Filipinos search, the CACEMS, RJMC No. 2021-01-1; and another resolution banning the use of firecrackers in NCR.

The Council meeting was capped by messages of support from DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año and the PNP Chief PGen Dionardo B. Carlos. A Plaque of Commendation from the DILG was also presented to RPOC Chairman and Parañaque City Mayor Edwin L. Olivarez by Usec. Bernardo C. Florece, Jr.

RPOC Head Secretariat and DILG-NCR Regional Director Maria Lourdes L. Agustin CESO III concluded the meeting with a brief recap of 2021. Characterizing the year as a period of intense learning, RD Agustin described policy-making within the RPOC as “fact-based, data-driven, powered by technology, leveraged upon the work and experience of many and infused with an anticipatory and futuristic outlook”. The adaptation that RPOC underwent in 2021 has enabled the institution to transition to a smarter way of doing business – what the Regional Director encapsulated as living in the “Smart Normal”.

RD Agustin ended her address on a confident and optimistic note, emphasizing the RPOC-NCR’s central role in local governance and looking forward to strengthening the Council as a platform for addressing the NCR’s most pressing challenges.