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Friday, March 29, 2024

Cotabato gets 120 more cops

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COTABATO CITY—The Central Mindanao police office has deployed 120 policemen here to augment the city’s regular police force in the face of heightened terror alerts in nearby Maguindanao.

City Mayor Frances Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi received the new police contingent from Chief Supt. Cedrick Train, Director of the Philippine National Police in Region 12, during the expanded City Peace and Order Council Meeting on Sept. 22 at Southseas Mall Convention Hall here.

Earlier, a “Cotabato” was mentioned in some high-level but informal geographical security assessment, attended last month by lawmakers allied with President Rodrigo Duterte.

Again, the President, citing what he said were instances of multiple land-titling, mentioned “Cotabato” as purportedly the next target by militants after Marawi. 

Elsewhere in Maguindanao, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front Al-Ittihad special contingent force and state security forces of the Philippine Army and Philippine Air Force have jointly kept extremists at bay. 

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Both Guiani-Sayadi and Major Gen. Arnel Dela Vega, commander of the 6th Army Infantry Division, have said the President could not have meant Cotabato City, as “he only mentioned Cotabato.”

In any event, Guiani-Sayadi said she was thankful to Chief Superintendent Train, Philippine National Police Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, and to Dela Vega for considering the much-needed security augmentation to the city.

“I am really thankful to the PNP Region 12 under Regional Director Train, and course to the PNP Chief Director General Bato Dela Rosa for giving attention to the security needs of Cotabato City. The 120 policemen assigned here are a big boost to our efforts in maintaining law and order, and also to our efforts to further reduce the crime rate, which has sharply declined during the last months,” she said.

For the third quarter of this year, the Cotabato City Police Office has recorded a 60.35-percent drop in crime, as compared to a nearly 30-percent decline during the same period last year.

City Police Director Senior Supt. Victor Valencia also turned over the command of the city police to incoming city police director Senior Supt. Rolly Octavio.

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