Quezon Gov. David Suarez (center in green shirt), Calabarzon police director Chief Supt. Mau Aplasca (in blue police officer uniform besi...
 |
| Quezon Gov. David Suarez (center in green shirt), Calabarzon police director Chief Supt. Mau Aplasca (in blue police officer uniform beside Suarez), provincial director Senior Supt. Roderick Armamento (in police vest beside Suarez), provincial board members Vicente Salumbides and Ferdinand Talabong and Quezon police chiefs pose for a groupie shot with over 10,000 PULI volunteers at Quezon Convention Center in Lucena city. (JOHN BELLO) |
LUCENA CITY -- Over 10 thousand community volunteers from Quezon province have banded together and called themselves Provincial Union of Leaders against Illegalities (PULI) to help the police and local government authorities in combatting various crimes and preserve peace and order in the entire province.
Quezon Gov. David ‘Jayjay’ Suarez, CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) police regional director Mau Aplasca and police provincial acting director Roderick Armamento, along with Sangguniang Panglalawigan members Claro Talaga, Jr., Ferdinand Talabong, Vincent Dominic Reyes, Vicente Salumbides and Jose Erwin Esguerra and the 41 police chiefs of the province led in the mass oath-taking ceremony during the launching of PULI on Wednesday at the jampacked Quezon Convention Center here.
“We need ordinary heroes who are ever ready to help to keep the peace and order in our communities and we are in this together for the sake of our province,” Suarez told the green-clad participants who come from all over the 39 towns and 2 cities of the province.
Suarez exhorted them to live the spirit of Quezon’s first provincial hero, Apolinario dela Cruz, popularly known as Hermano Puli, who died for his heroic principles and beliefs during the Spanish colonial occupation of the country.
Suarez exhorted them to live the spirit of Quezon’s first provincial hero, Apolinario dela Cruz, popularly known as Hermano Puli, who died for his heroic principles and beliefs during the Spanish colonial occupation of the country.
It was during the 176th death anniversary celebration of Puli last Nov. 30 when Suarez disclosed that he will be launching a new group of not less than 10,000 volunteers with the acronym of PULI after the legendary hero which founded the religious movement called Cofradia de San Jose and whose death and heroism inspired the 3 Filipino martyred priests Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos and Jacinto Zamora and other national heroes led by Jose Rizal that led to the Philippine revolution against Spanish tyranny in 1898.
Expressing awe at the jampacked convention center almost filled to the rafters of throngs of community volunteers banding together for the cause of peace and order in Quezon, Aplasca exhorted the participants to recover their sense of nationalism and patriotism and to return to the ‘correct concept of family’ where respect for parents and the authority is first inculcated.
Stressing that dysfunctional families are usually the main source of criminalities, Aplasca cited the 4 major points which promote peace and order for the country: nationalism and patriotism, respect for authority, vigilance and correct concept of family.
Stressing that dysfunctional families are usually the main source of criminalities, Aplasca cited the 4 major points which promote peace and order for the country: nationalism and patriotism, respect for authority, vigilance and correct concept of family.
He challenged PULI volunteers “to light your candle to brighten Quezon province’ as he asked them to support the police Community Mobilization Project (CMP) which aims to have drug-free community, decreasing or absence of crimes, insurgency-free and absence of threat of terrorism at the barangay level.
Suarez said PULI volunteers will move in support of the police CMP and this coming January next year he will ask the various municipal police chiefs to coordinate with PULI volunteers to come up with a concrete action plan against all forms of criminalities specifically illegal drugs, insurgency, illegal gambling, illegal logging and other illegalities at the grassroots community level.
Under the CMP, community volunteers have to assist in law enforcement, support in internal security, disaster preparedness and response, environmental protection and conduct of crime prevention, awareness and education and other public information drives.
For his part, Armamento showed in a slide presentation the result of the police operation of Project Tokhang since it started last year to present. It showed 25,100 drug surrenderers – 23,218 drug users and 1,502 pushers and 14,750 visited houses.
Out of 1,242 barangays of the province, 627 are affected, 477 have been cleared of drugs and 150 remain to have drug affectation.
The police have declared 5 drug-cleared municipalities in the province – Plaridel, Pitogo, Macalelon, Gen. Luna and Quezon.
He urged PULI volunteers to enlist in CMP activities, to be always aware and vigilant of suspicious activities at the barangay level saying that “if there is active community mobilization, the siege in Marawi would not have happened.”
The launching was capped by the mass oath-taking led by Suarez, Aplasca, Armamento and the 41 police chiefs swearing that as PULI members they “voluntarily offer their selves for beneficial activities, value life and future of every youth, support the municipal and provincial governments to fight illegal acts that destroy the environment and life of every citizen and they commit to live the principles of Hermano Puli for the realization of their own progress and the entire country”.
In the afternoon, on the same day, Suarez, Aplasca, Armamento, Southern Luzon Command chief Brig. Gen. Ernesto Ravina led in the graduation rites at the grandstand of Camp Nakar of some 192 former drug surrenderers who have completed a 6 months training in fire safety and disaster rescue operation under the Yakap-Bayan program crafted by the PNP and the Dept. of Social Welfare and Development designed to transform drug abusers into effective community leaders.
The program was also attended by Presidential adviser for Southern Tagalog Daniel Hernandez and his son, DSWD assistant secretary Anton Hernandez and several municipal mayors and various representatives of the private sector.
The program was also attended by Presidential adviser for Southern Tagalog Daniel Hernandez and his son, DSWD assistant secretary Anton Hernandez and several municipal mayors and various representatives of the private sector.
Yakap-Bayan is allied to the United Stand Against Drugs (USAD) program launched by various government and private agencies in Quezon to provide rehabilitation and reintegration to drug dependents.
Armamento expressed elation as the Quezon police provincial office received from Suarez the SWAT tactical van, 4 big motor bikes and high visibility vests donated by the provincial government for use in police anti-crime operations in the province.
Suarez considered the day ‘historic’ as he commended another 15 state forces he dubbed as modern day heroes - 13 soldiers and 2 policemen - who sacrificed their lives and safety from the almost 5 months Marawi siege against the Maute terrorist groups. Of this batch is included 1st Lt. Ronilo Vender from San Francisco, who led a patrol operation of 7 men belonging to the 7th Mechanized Infantry Battalion and using remote control weapon system aboard armored vehicle with thermal camera felled Abu Sayyaf terrorist leader Isnelon Hapilon around 3 to 3:30 AM on Oct. 16 in an alley at 758th building in Bgy. Datu Sanaga in Marawi.
Last Nov. 30 during the Hermano Puli death anniversary celebrations, Suarez first saluted and honored 15 battle-scarred soldiers who fought and survived the Marawi siege.
The 30 war survivors from various towns of Quezon were all awarded with plaques of valor and P50 thousand cash each by the governor and his father, House minority floor leader Rep. Danilo Suarez as ‘loose change for their bravery and heroism they have done for the country’s freedom.”
No comments