NEWSFLASH

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COTABATO CITY POLICE NOW UNDER ARMM CONTROL

Cotabato City, May 8, 2002 (STAR) By John Unson - Efforts by the city’s cross-section to jointly maintain the fragile peace here got a much-needed boost with the integration of the local police, previously under Region 12, into the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, whose regional police command is much nearer.

While Cotabato City is under Region 12, it is situated within Maguindanao, a component province of the ARMM.

The Region 12 police camp is located in Barangay Tambler, General Santos City, which is more than 200 kilometers from this city.

The ARMM police command, on the other hand, is at Camp S.K. Pendatun in Parang, Maguindanao, less than 30 kilometers northeast of this city.

Philippine National Police chief Director General Leandro Mendoza ordered the transfer of the city police to the operational control of the ARMM command during his visit to Camp S.K. Pendatun over the weekend.

Communication lapses between the city police and the Maguindanao police command in Shariff Aguak town have been blamed for much of the peace and order problems here.

City policemen pursuing lawless elements who had sought refuge in surrounding Maguindanao towns had to coordinate first with the provincial police and the ARMM regional headquarters.

City Mayor Muslimin Sema said lawmen assigned in the 37 barangays here and those belonging to police units in Maguindanao can now efficiently work together in getting rid of criminals.

This city, home to 150,000 people, is a known hotbed of kidnappings and religious fundamentalism.

In a random survey, 22 out 25 people asked by The STAR said they favored placing the city police under the operational control of the ARMM police command.

Last Saturday, the ARMM police also assumed operational control of the Basilan police.

Basilan, which has six towns — Maluso, Sumisip, Lantawan, Tipo-Tipo, Lamitan and Tuburan — and a city, Isabela, the provincial capital, was previously under the Region 9 police command.

Basilan became part of the ARMM after its residents voted in favor of the province’s inclusion in the expanded autonomous set-up in last year’s plebiscite.

Mendoza’s visit to Camp S.K. Pendatun was capped with the PNP’s symbolic devolution of certain powers and functions of the ARMM police to the office of Gov. Parouk Hussin.

Such a move is stipulated in both the Sept. 2, 1996 peace pact between the government and the Moro National Liberation Front, and the region’s newly amended charter, Republic Act 9054.

Mendoza also placed the police forces of Lanao del Norte, Misamis and Iligan City under the Region 10 police command, which is based in Cagayan de Oro City.

Police units in these three neighboring areas, originally under Region 12, were fused with Region 9 after Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur, also both within Central Mindanao, became component-provinces of the ARMM in 1990.