LAGAWE, IFUGAO – – Many problems have arisen due to breakdown of peace and order in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and many other regions of the country. Luckily, the voices of some well-meaning officials prevailed. Fortunately, they have been able to perform with what is expected of them. One of them is Board Member Victor Bunnol Jr. of Lamut.
For the last eight years, Board Member Bunnol advanced the cause of maintaining peace and order in Ifugao’s 11 towns through the active participation of the people in all aspects of law enforcement.
There is little chance for the Philippine National Police (PNP) not to see the validity of Board Member Bunnol’s position. Consequently, the Regional Police Community Relation Division-Cordillera recognized his invaluable contributions to the PNP at a just-concluded program at the PROCOR Masigasig Grandstand of Camp Major Bado Dangwa in La Trinidad, Benguet. He was conferred an award by the said office at the well-attended program.
“As we march onwards to our shared commitment in protecting our people from lawless elements, may we continue to fully support the men and women of the Philippine National Police at all times,” he told the ZigZag Weekly.
“This act of providing all-out support to our cops and for all sectors of society to extend assistance in the drive to curb lawlessness is an important key for the necessary conducive system and environment we need to achieve peace and order in our communities,” he added.
The youthful lawmaker, also noted that Ifugao folks have manifested their strong determination “in taking every challenge, and in embracing difficulties on the task of weeding out criminals as what President Rodrigo Duterte and PNP officials are advocating for quite some time.”
Board Member Bunnol and a few other officials in this part of the country are arguing that their countrymen cannot simply entrust solely the anti-crime effort on the PNP and other law enforcement agencies. The past 60 or so years have shown that.
On the other hand, many officials in the National Capital Region or Metro Manila see a united front in the citizenry’s ranks as a key factor in crime deterrence. The strength, unity and courage shall ultimately define them as a people acting as one in ensuring the tranquility of their localities.
Bunnol pointed out to his agenda of creating a society freed of the menace of drugs, crime and corruption, seeking subsequently better living standards for the people.
“That’s why I always tell our people, I am no longer thinking of myself in the war being waged on crime. I am thinking of the greatest number of people who are to be shielded from criminals,” he stressed.
With a number of accomplishments in his track record, following the conferment of the award Board Member Bunnol vowed to further commit himself to participate in whatever way possible towards the vision of maintaining peace and order in Ifugao’s 176 villages.
“I fervently hope for a stronger partnership between the citizenry, PNP and the government in our quest of ensuring the people’s safety and comfort in the province and the rest of the region,” he asserted.
The sentiments and insights of Board Member Bunnol are particularly relevant amid the mounting calls for increased police visibility and faster response of policemen to critical situations, most especially in underserved communities.
For his part, Bunnol offered kind words of encouragement and congratulations for the successful conduct of the activity. He also lauded the officials of the Regional Police Office-Cordillera.
“They have done an excellent job. The program of the Regional Police Office-Cordillera will surely benefit generations of Filipinos who, I am confident, will look back with gratitude to the present leadership of this office for securing their lives,” Bunnol said.
“I will support whatever noteworthy programs, projects, activities and plans they have this year and beyond,” he added.
While the country is still feeling the effects of the “Operation Tokhang” on drug abuse and anti-tambay (anti-loitering) crackdown, Bunnol said he is fully behind the anti-crime campaign of the officialdom to make good on the President Duterte’s promise to relieve the people of the fears on drug offenders and criminals.
As a pillar of the Ifugao Advisory Council, Board Member Bunnol had an opportunity to work with the province’s highly-placed law authorities as well as Atty. Belen Tayaban, who is the head of the People’s Law Enforcement Board (PLEB) in Ifugao.
At the powerful and influential Sangguniang Panlalawigan (provincial board), Bunnol attends to various matters in the committee level not even remotely close to securing the province’s through a barangay-based system, would you believe?
What sets this feat apart is that the awardee is associated with a concern not pointedly geared to actions taken by the men and women in uniform. Bunnol, whose work record is characterized by selfless service which impacts the lives of the poor, is the chairman of the committee on health and sanitation.
“This is indeed our big chance to improve peace and order conditions in the barangay level,” Lagawe Poblacion North Punong Barangay Ericson Inhumang said.
He said conferment of the award was a “big accomplishment” that showed work on peace and order being done in rural areas was comparable to similar undertakings in urban areas or in the metropolis.
“Of course, we felt honored of Board Member Bunnol’s award because the people at the Regional Police Office-Cordillera who evaluated his work are experts in the field of law enforcement,” Inhumang quipped.
All told, the roadmap for a peaceful Ifugao, however, would not be quickly realized until Board Member Bunnol start gathering key stakeholders for an all-important meeting.
As peace and order conditions vary dramatically between towns each day, stakeholders need to be well-informed.
How will they have a fair chance of pursuing the goal of attaining peace and order when the only people involved in the discussion are those in the government? The hypocrisy done in the past should be a thing of the past! Easily, there are so many bright men and women in nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and people’s organizations (POs) who are not being consulted, and only department heads of the provincial government are invited, which explains the horrendous situation where criminals are scot-free roaming around many places.
Looking back at the still unsolved Php 2.7 million hold-up at Kiangan, one would think that this observation is not out of place in an impoverished province like Ifugao. It is a subtle indictment of the provincial government’s pronouncement that “all’s well in Ifugao and there is no cause for alarm.” The incident certainly raised questions about the capability of local authorities to curb crime. Expectations for a swift solution of the crime went very high thus, the PNP was in the public eye all the time. Many thought since they are living in predominantly undeveloped places of Ifugao, some would like to introduce something new about governance. It is aptly called “people empowerment.”
These vital players have to dovetail it with strategic programs of the national government. More importantly, it needs the strong, firm and active hands of leaders in the private sector. The cooperation and support of each one in the said sector undeniably has a strong impact.
It is simply not easy to forget what’s at stake in the citizenry’s well-being. This is where the debate on the PNP’s rationale for its existence matters: “to protect and serve the people.
Bunnol, also a sports advocate, has always been consistent in his commitment to strengthen and professionalize the police force.
In prioritizing the campaign to contain the growing drug menace and other crimes, every move to strengthen force multipliers such as communication groups and civil organizations to augment the shortage of policemen and provision of logistical support and training to the police such as Rouser motorcycles and fuel subsidies, as well as marksmanship training for Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) personnel contributes to the upgrading of capacities of the police force.
A push to modernize the PNP is meaningless if its men and women who are staking their lives to protect the Filipino people are underpaid, ill-trained, ill-equipped and uncared for as a result.
The movers and shakers as well as rank and file of the PNP will do their part but they want to be assured of the continuing support of the Duterte administration.
The ceremony was carefully timed to take place on the heels of the third State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) of President Duterte who once more bewailed the alarming consequences of criminality in the Philippines. The meaningful ceremony is expected to enhance awareness of concerted efforts of the PNP to protect the community each second of the day. **By Anthony A. Araos
