RAJAH BUAYAN, Maguindanao – The mayor of this developing town has issued marching orders for its new police chief to ensure public safety foremost.
Mayor Zamzamin Ampatuan gave the directive to Sr. Insp. Paisal Makmod, newly-designated police officer, who is personally known to the town executive.
“Welcome to Rajah Buayan and good luck Sr. Insp. Paisal Makmod,” the mayor told the police officer who made a courtesy call in his office Wednesday.
Makmod is a classmate of the mayor with both graduating from an engineering course at the Notre Dame University in Cotabato City.
Makmod later proceeded to take Criminology to join the Philippine National Police. “He has a sterling record as police officer,” Ampatuan said of Makmod.
After encouraging words, Ampatuan then issued his marching orders for Makmod to stop cattle rustling which has been the cause of major armed hostilities in town dominated by farmers.
The mayor’s second directive is to eliminate illegal drug trade in Rajah Buayan’s 15 barangays. Next is to prevent robbery and theft, a problem besetting locals.
Ampatuan also ordered Makmod to ensure law and order in town, enforce municipal ordinance that will make Rajah Buayan a lovely place to live in.
Ampatuan also said that the police must regulate bearing of firearms within the political boundaries of Rajah Buayan, one of the new towns in Maguindanao with a population of 23,652 people as of 2015 census.
The mayor also directed the police to work closely with barangay government to attain those objectives and to ask support from Armed Forces units in the area.
He also ordered Makmod to seek assistance from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the conduct of law enforcement operations.
Rajah Buayan is one of the areas in Maguindanao identified with the MILF, now an ally of the government in the pursuit of the Mindanao peace process.
“I reminded the chief of police to be decisive and focused in protecting the lives, property and dignity of the citizenry while upholding the Rule of Law and Human Rights,” Ampatuan said.
Rajah Buayan is adjacent to Mamasapano where the bloody police operation against Malaysian bomber Zulkifli bin Hir occurred in 2015. The ISIS-inspired Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) on many occasions tried but failed to influence residents here due to the active advocacy of the local government unit against violent extremism. (Edwin Fernandez/PNA)
