BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan rallied barangay officials in the city’s 128 barangays to cooperate in the profiling of residents in their areas of jurisdiction to strengthen the local government’s position to thwart radicalism and terrorism in the city.
The local chief executive underscored the importance of profiling foreigners, Muslims and even transient students in the barangays for the local government to establish a database of people who want to reside with the people to avert any untoward incident that could transpire in the future that will compromise the peace and order situation in the city.
“We have to make sure that we are prepared for whatever untoward incidents that will happen in the future, especially when it concerns the city’s peace and order situation. We have to be one step ahead of those who want to ruin the image of the city from the forces that simply want to create trouble and disturb the city’s peace and order situation,” Domogan stressed.
He said sympathizers of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are now scattered in the different parts of the country and they are trying to look for local supporters before they can implement their grand design to disrupt the peace and order situation of a certain place, thus, residents in the city’s barangays must always be vigilant on what is happening in their neighbourhood, especially when there are new people wanting to reside with them in their places.
According to him, barangay officials and residents must not await for something to happen in their place before taking the appropriate steps in addressing whatever the situation that will be created because it might be too late for them to act on what had already been firmed up on the ground.
He underscored that it is best for everyone to know their neighbors and for them to be aware of whatever their activities so that they will be able to police their own ranks and to prevent the occurrence of untoward incidents that will compromise the good peace and order situation of the city.
Domogan asserted that the peace that continues to reign in the city is attributed to the unity, cooperation and teamwork of the local officials and the residents who value the importance of law and order in sustaining the good image of the city from tourists.
He emphasized that one of the major problems of every local government is radicalism and terrorism which has slowly cheeped into some key cities in the country that is why local governments are forced to strengthen their anti-criminality, anti-terrorism and peacekeeping initiatives so that they will be able to detect any attempt to derail the implementation of programs, projects and activities for the attainment of lasting peace in the city.
He claimed that members of the Baguio City Police office (BCPO) are always on guard on the latest threats to the city’s peace and order situation but the people must continue cooperating with the implementation of the appropriate strategies that will curb the radical and terroristic activities that will affect the prevailing peace and order situation in the city.
Baguio city was recently adjudged as one of the Top Ten Safest Cities in Southeast Asia based on the perception of tourists who were able to visit the involved cities.
By Dexter A. See
