by Lorry V. Gabule

Iligan City (29 July) -- Mayor Lawrence Ll. Cruz, chairman of the lligan City Peace and Order Council (ICPO), has confronted its members by declaring an all-out-war against criminalities.

"I called for the convergence of this Council here at the Sangguniang Panglunsod Hall, this city, to obtain an ultimate if not an immediate solution to the criminalities occurring especially in urban barangays," said Mayor Cruz.

The ICPOC chairman, seemingly irked with the reports, enumerated the names of the victims (mostly students) of hold-up and snatching of personal belongings like cellphones and bags by the perpetrators.

Mayor Cruz has urged the 44 barangay chairmen to submit within 48 hours, setting two days (2) for them to prepare their Barangay Security Plan, which aimed at maintaining the stability of their area.

"This is an urgent move, the most we can do to prevent from an incident when one victim of hold-up succumbed to death due to stabbed wounds, an ordeal which we do not want to happen again," stressed Mayor Cruz.

"Also, we condemn those illicit activities of the organized crime groups who are based in neighboring provinces/towns indulging kidnap for ransom, robbery, carnapping of motorcycles/automobiles, merely to affect our city?s security condition," added Cruz.

"We requested, through Police Senior Superintendent Bernardo Reamon, Jr., city director, Iligan City Police Office (ICPOC), 41 uniformed personnel from the 10th Regional Public Safety Battalion, Cagayan de Oro City to augment our police force here," revealed Cruz.

Hence, the requested police augmentation arrived already in Iligan last 24th July 2010, Cruz said.

"We encourage our law elements to coordinate with the barangay officials in their conduct of security check-up in the area," Cruz said.

Meanwhile, Col. Leo Cresente Ferrer, brigade commander, 601st Infantry Brigade, Philippine Army (PA), and Lt. Col Angel Madarang, commanding officer of army?s 43rd Infantry Battalion, have committed to sustain proactive activities to counter dominant threats to security, peace and order, from the lawless MILF group initiating atrocities in the government troops? area of responsibility.

Other than the permanent members of the Council from the officials of the local government unit and from the national government line agencies, we have included also in the Council membership the Rector of St. Michael Parish, the Cabaro Islamic Association, Inc., the Lanao-Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce, and the Federated Purok Presidents, declared the ICPOC chairperson.