In his message, PDG Oscar D Albayalde thanked and commended the courageous and hardworking members of the search and rescue teams of the PRO1 for their selfless efforts in saving lives and keeping the communities safe during and after the onslaught of typhoon Ompong.

“Alam kong bagamat nasa panganib din ang inyong mga pamilya at mga mahal sa buhay, nagawa nyo pa ring paglingkuran, tulungan at iligtas ang ating mga kababayan. Ganyan ang tunay na pulis at mga lingkod bayan. Maraming Salamat sa inyo.”

The Chief, PNP further challenged the Police Regional Office 1 to sustain the declining crime volume and crime victimization rate in the region. As reported, the Police Regional Office 1 have registered a total of 43,671 crime incidents from January 2017 to July 2018 which is 24.86% less than the 58,121 incident from recorded from January 2015 to July 2016.

“I enjoined every member of this regional office to continue with the good work. Criminals, drug lords and other lawless criminal elements will always find ways to defy the law. Peace and order problems will continue to emerge but we must make sure that we are always steps ahead of them and not allow them to further harm the community. Let us learn from the setbacks we experienced, just treasure the lessons we learned and use them to spur as farther towards more triumphs against crimes and lawlessness especially against illegal drugs,” PDG Albayalde added.

The Chief, PNP also extended his deep gratitude to the to the Region 1 community, to our partners to local government units and to all sectors that have been strongly and sincerely supportive of PRO1.

Meanwhile, Police Chief Superintendent Romulo E Sapitula, PRO1’s Regional Director, expressed his appreciation on behalf of the Police Regional Office 1 to the Chief, PNP for his unwavering support and giving inspiration to the members of Region 1 police force.

According to PSSupt Gary J. Garen, Chief, Regional Operations and Plans Division, a total of 7,000 clean rider stickers are ready for distribution regionwide which is subject to “first come, first serve” basis.

The campaign plan “Clean Rider” is a practical and simple way of separating law-abiding motorcycle riders from those involved in illegal activities and aims efficient apprehension of motorcycle-riding criminals, to make our streets safe, dismantle organized groups, promote road safety and develop responsible riders.

“There are three reasons behind this campaign, first is to address motorcycle-riding related crimes that takes the lives of high-profile victims; second is to ensure public safety and maintain a safer place to live, work and do business to every family; and the third is to prevent vehicular accidents by inculcating traffic education and discipline in the region,” PCSupt Sapitula said during the activity.

He also appealed to all motorcycle riders regionwide to voluntarily submit their motorcycles with the necessary documents for inspection and continuously support the programs of Police Regional Office 1 as we strengthen our commitment for the safety of the community.

As frontliners of public safety, the Police Regional Office 1 under the leadership of PCSupt Romulo E Sapitula, Regional Director, maximized the possible deployment of personnel for Search and Rescue Operation.

PCSupt Sapitula visited police stations and other units to check their readiness in responding to disasters and calamities. He also advised all PNP units to undertake precautionary measures and other disaster preparedness activities and ensure readiness of the SRR equipment and supplies to support operational requirements.

Police Regional Office 1 launched the simultaneous showdown inspection and inventory of Search and Rescue Equipment regionwide to ensure the operational readiness on the outbreak of Tropical Depression “Ompong”.

The Regional Headquarters had likewise conducted accounting of personnel and reserved teams ready for deployment in cases of any eventualities. Further, maximum coordination with the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC), Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) and other concerned agencies were made for immediate response to emergencies.

PCSupt Sapitula urged his men to secure their homes, properties and families for them to have no worries and to focus in rescue operations if needed. He also directed them to pray for everybody’s safety.

He likewise reminded the public especially those living along the coastal and flood prone areas to be constantly aware on the weather updates and secure emergency kits.