OZAMIZ CITY, Misamis Occidental (PIA)--Mayor Henry "Indy" Oaminal Jr. emphasized that peace and order are the primordial concerns of the city, without which there can be no development.

Peace and order have proven to have a direct positive impact on businesses. It is believed that where there is peace, good opportunities that can support the private sector will follow.

For everyone to live peacefully in the city, the local government unit has adopted an all-out support policy for the local law enforcers to ensure that they have all that they need to effectively function.

Ozamiz LGU places peace and order as one of its top priorities. "As the former haven of criminals, peace and order remain a continuous challenge for Ozamiz City, but we are confident enough to implement these all-out support policies because we have a trustworthy police force nga angay gyud kaayo supportahan (that really deserves support)," he said.

To take care of the needs of law enforcers, the city government provided each police officer in the city and province with a minimum allowance of at least P2,950 per month.

A total allowance provided since July 2022 of P19.3 million.

The city also took care of their mobility requirements by supporting their fuel expenses in the total amount of P7.4 million. They also provided an additional two units of patrol cars and an additional eight units of patrol motorcycles.

Ozamiz Mayor recently signed the contract for the construction and establishment of the state-of-the-art command center and surveillance system, totaling P23.4 million.

The command center is expected to be set up by December 2023, and the entire system is expected to be fully operational by the end of the first quarter of 2024.

"This will not only help us deter crime and aid investigations, but it will also improve our response time when there are hazards and disasters, and even accidents throughout the city," he shared.

Maintenance of peace and order starts at the barangay level. The city likewise provided monthly support to the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team (BPATs) at P1,500 per month per BPAT, with a total quarterly allowance of P4,500 per month for a total of P14,211,000 since July 2022.

"Our BPATs provide support to our barangay captains and sometimes our PNP in keeping order in their respective barangays," he said.

On the Asenso Ozamiz Sustainable Livelihood Programs, the city continues to give livelihood to people who use drugs (PWUDs). So far, LGU Ozamiz has distributed 388 livestock to 168 families of PWUDs to remind them that they can have a better life by giving them chickens, pigs, and goats.

The mayor encouraged all Ozamiznons to report any irregular activity or wrongdoing, and the city, together with the PNP, would act on it as soon as they could. (SMRN/PIA-10/Misamis Occidental)