DAVAO CITY — The Police Regional Office (PRO) 11 has now transferred the administrative and operational jurisdiction of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion (RMFB) to the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations – Eastern Mindanao (DIPO-EM).
In a turn-over ceremony on Monday, the PRO 11 regional director BGen Filmore Escobal hands over the supervision to 2,100 RMFB 11 personnel including the Provincial Police Mobile Force Companies.
DIPO-EM Director Maj. Gen. Arnel Escobal said in an interview, this move aims to strengthen its Internal Security Operations (ISO) of the police in the remote areas identified as Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA) in Eastern Mindanao without the worrying about the problem of regional boundary.
“This will also include search and rescue operations if there will be natural calamities to happen,” he said.
Escobal said after all DIPO become the Area Command of the PNP all over the country, they are now in charge of securing all the development projects implemented in the remote areas.
” Lahat ng DIPO kasi, will be taken out of Camp Crame. So yung Northern Luzon dadalhin na sa Ilocos Region, ‘yong sa Visayas will be brought to Negros Island, Southern Luzon will in Lucena, Eastern Mindanao in Davao and Western Mindanao in Zamboanga ( All DIPO will be taken out of Camp Crame. The DIPO of Northern Luzon will be placed in Ilocos Region, Visayas in Negros Island, Southern Luzon in Lucena, Eastern Mindanao in Davao City, and Western Mindanao in Zamboanga Peninsula),” he said.
Escobal said, in all PRO in the country, the Davao Region is the first to respond to the guidelines not just for personnel but also for their office.
He said, the office of DIPO-EM will be temporarily housed inside Camp Quintin Merecido in Catitipan but soon they will rise their headquarters in Barangay Malagos, Baguio District.
The DIPO-EM also said will replicate all the best practices in implementing the security operations in the remote areas such as the formation of Revitalized Police sa Barangay (RPSB) which is a big help in maintaining the peace and order situation especially in the New People’s Army (NPA) infested area.
The DIPO-EM commander is the older brother of PRO XI regional director, they are now serving region XI in different capacities. Newsline.ph
