As soon as the elected officials particularly the newcomers assumed seats, a revamp of almost all the cabinet members, coterminous positions, and non-CESO (Career Executive Service Officials), was the major concern and the initial agenda. This did not spare the many police chiefs assigned in the cities and municipalities nationwide. But the outstanding performance of Police Chief Inspector Rodolfo D. Castro, Jr. compelled the new Sison mayor, Hon. Mina Joy C. Pangasinan, to retain him in his post as the town’s PNP Chief.
Sison PNP Chief Rodlfo D. Castro during an interview with the media
His commendable accomplishments in preserving the town’s peace and order and numerous Police-Community conciliatory programs earned him the respect of the constituents and local officials.
Chief Castro (see red arrow) in motion while maneuvering a 105-ton tube mill
PCI Rodolfo D. Castro (in lead) in his attire that won him one of the seven Best Uniformed personnel of the Philippine National Police during the rank inspection held in Camp Crame, Quezon City on April 7, 2010. (Photo taken during the transport of a tube mill)
The municipality of Sison has an approximate land area of 13,788 square kilometers and with a population of about 49,000 constituents. Having the strength of only 22 competent policemen, it has strived and continues to ensure that public safety and security is well provided.
In a short meeting with the Chief, he clarified issues regarding the deployment ratio. He said that in class A municipalities, the actual proportion of police to population is 1:500. The municipality of Sison being a class B municipality, the deployment ratio should be 1:1000. However, since some personnel are tapped to do administrative functions (desk officers, admin, finance and logistics); this ratio is further translated to 1: 2,629. But, there are two shifts and therefore, the actual police to population ratio within Sison area with a population of forty nine thousand at any given time is 1:5,550. In terms of land area, one policeman covers about 1,378.9 hectares.
He further explained that the new directive from the new AFP Chief, President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III, to raise the salaries of the PNP, though extremely indispensable, is not the sole solution to the quandary appertaining to the effectiveness of the PNP nationwide. The exact proportion of police to population is also one that must also be pried on.
Recognizing that an immediate resolution to the disparity in police force to the number of Sison’s populace is unforeseeable, Chief Castro tapped the strength of the members of the Barangay Councils, Civilian Volunteer Organizations (CVO), the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Teams (BPAT), and many other barangay organizations in solving petty crimes. The chief implemented seminars to train these groups to handle minor crime incidents and to report suspicious activities in their respective barangays. The persistent police visibility and night patrols and the devised scheme of coordination with the barangay officials proved very effective in maintaining peace and order that also eased some overloads from the daily undertakings of the sparse police force. Chief Castro’s punctual role and commitment in providing service to the people is exemplary. However, he is sanguine that the endemic police to population difficulty is next in line to land on President Aquino’s table.
Below are a few of Chief Castro’s Police-Community conciliatory schemes extracted from his First 120 Days Report. These activities were aimed at winning back the trust of the people.
“TOUR DE STATION” PROGRAM- The “Tour de Station” is aimed in raising the level of public safety awareness of the students so that such consciousness can cascade down to the last constituent. Students of Sison were invited by the COP and toured them inside the Police Station.
“LAPIS” PROGRAM
LApis para sa Puso at Isipan ng estudyante ng Sison
The LAPIS (LApis para sa Puso at Isipan ng estudyante ng Sison) program is a concept of police community service with the objective of resolving, or ideally preventing distrust or fear to the police because some people do not understand the police role, methods of operation, and priorities. 6,500 pieces of “LAPIS” will be distributed to public elementary students of Sison to improve students and teachers attitude toward the police and to strengthen police-community ties.
“PAPOGI COPS” PROGRAM (if you look better, you can work better)
Monthly free haircut for Sison PNP personnel was provided as an added incentive to uplift the morale of the local police in performing their law enforcement functions and to improve their neatness and appearance, because if you look better, you can work better.
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