QUEZON CITY, (PIA) – Five local chief executives from the city governments in Metro Manila collectively attended this year’s ‘Public Safety and Peace Nexus Program’ that was held at Washington D.C., United States of America.
The international conference was primarily joined by the members of the Regional Peace and Order Council and officials of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (RPOC-DILG) to further strengthen their peace-building efforts in the National Capital Region (NCR).
The learning visit program has pooled an array of think tanks who shared best practices and interdisciplinary knowledge on policy-making in the field of public safety, homeland security, as well as peace and order.
Among the participants include Mayor Dale Gonzalo ‘Along’ Malapitan of Caloocan City, Mayor Jeannie Sandoval of Malabon City, Mayor John Reynald Tiangco of Navotas City, and Mayor Weslie Gatchalian of Valenzuela City. San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora who has recently been appointed as the chair of Metro Manila RPOC was also present in the conference.
Joining the Philippine contingents are DILG Undersecretary for Local Government Marlo Iringan, Undersecretary for Peace and Order Oscar Valenzuela, and Assistant Secretary for Local Government Odilon Pasaraba together with DILG-NCR Regional Director Maria Lourdes Agustin, Assistant Regional Director Ana-lyn Baltazar-Cortez, Chief of Staff Abigayle Baligod, and DILG-NCR Local Government Capability Development Division Assistant Chief Luigi Peralta.
Also present during the program are the Chair of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Romando Artes, General Manager Pcocopio Lipana, NCR Police Office Regional Director for Operations Jack Wanky, Area Police Command-Eastern Mindanao Commander Filmore Escobar, Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-NCR Regional Director Nahum Tarroza, San Juan City Councilor Don Carlos Arman Allado, and Caloocan City Councilor Luis Asistio III.
After their training sessions, the local leaders reportedly paid a courtesy visit to the Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and the White House.
The comprehensive conference was organized by the Washington Global Institute and De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.
The RPOC recently convened on March 21 to hold its first full council meeting with the aim of addressing the challenges on criminality, public safety and security, cybercrime, and disaster resiliency, among others. (PIA-NCR)
