BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
A police officer will soon be assigned to each of the 662 barangays of Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City.
This is in compliance to the order of PNP chief Camilo Cascolan, as stipulated in his 9-point agenda dubbed “Bayanihan Spirit”, Brig. Gen. Rene Pamuspusan, police director of Western Visayas, said.
Based on the guidelines, Pamuspusan said a police officer to be assigned in a barangay shall preferably be a resident of the place, and must exhibit professionalism, problem-solving ability and initiative.
The “Pulis sa Barangay” must hold the rank of police corporal, depending on the availability of personnel per station, he added.
“Our personnel must be familiar with the peace and order situation, terrain and culture of the place for him to become an effective Pulis sa Barangay,” Pamuspusan said during the staff conference Tuesday at Camp Martin Delgado in Iloilo City.
He also explained that the assignment is in addition to the duties and responsibilities of the police officer and his or her primary function is to serve as conduit between the PNP and the barangay.
Pamuspusan added that any activity undertaken by the “Pulis sa Barangay” must be made in close coordination with the barangay officials, key stakeholders and support groups.
“We do not want to interfere (in barangay matters), we just want to let the community be actively involved in peacekeeping,” he stressed.*
