Iloilo City's peace and order council to be decentralized

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — The City Peace and Order Council (CPOC) is expected to undergo a major change in its organizational structure soon by having it decentralized.

This was after members of the CPOC-Iloilo gave their nod to the proposal of Councilor Joshua Alim, chairman of the committee on police matters, to reorganize CPOC by creating a peace and order council in each of the city's six districts.

The decision to decentralize the CPOC was done during a recent meeting, attended by Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, Police Regional Office-6 director Chief Supt. Cipriano Querol Jr. and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-6 regional director Paul Ledesma.

Through decentralization, Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) chief Senior Supt. Marietto Valerio said that every district's peace and order situation will be given more focus.

"Mas magiging active siguro ang mga members ng bawat district into addressing their peace and order concerns," he added.

Valerio said that, under the new setup, CPOC's functions will not overlap but will be replicated in each district up to the barangay level.

The district CPOC will have the district ABC (Association of Barangay Captains) as council chairman, and the district's chief of police as member. - THE FREEMAN