During the briefing, Mayor Turabin-Hataman officially recognized the newly appointed members of the Peace and Order Council, namely PNP Isabela City Police Station PLTCOL Parson Asadil, BFP City Fire Marshall FSINSP Wilhelm Anthony Albrecht, and PDEA-Isabela City Investigation Agent Marian Cuadrazal.

19SFC, 4 SF Bn Commanding Officer LTCOL Bernard Samin represented by 1LT Junie Onnar provided updates on the peace and order situation and anti-insurgency campaign in Isabela City as well as its area of operations in Lantawan, and Hdj. Muhtamad Municipality, discussing terrorist groups, peace-inclined armed groups, shooting incidents and robbery/hold-ups unrelated to these groups. Also discussed were the successful medical outreach programs in Barangays Tabuk and Marang-Marang, while emphasizing their analysis and assessment, and the overall peacefulness of Isabela City.

PLTCOL Asadil provided updates on the peace and order situation, law enforcement, and anti-criminality campaign, including a total crime volume of 56 cases from January to May 2023, with a crime clearance rate of 76.47% and a crime solution efficiency rate of 58.82%. Furthermore, he reported arrests related to violations of RA 9165, attempted parricide, loose firearm, buy-bust operations, carnapping, robbery, alleged rape, and illegal gambling.

PLTCOL Asadil also provided updates on the drug clearing operations, reporting that 17 barangays had been cleared of drug-related activities from FY 2022 to the present, while 28 barangays remained affected; he mentioned that 14 barangays had applied for clearance this year, and Isabela CPS, in coordination with PDEA, would assess their compliance with the minimum requirements. Moreover, he informed that the agency had conducted 19 operations resulting in the arrest of 21 individuals and the seizure of dangerous drugs worth P85,204.00, weighing 12.53 grams.

City Fire Marshall Albrecht provided updates on the public safety campaign, highlighting zero reported fire incidents in March 2023 with a 25% decrease in fire incidents during the 2nd quarter compared to the 1st quarter, and the causes of reported incidents, along with conducting barangay visits for fire prevention campaigns, orientation and fire safety lectures. He also informed about the turnover of 2 units of DJI Mini 2 SE camera drones and 3 units of hydrants by LGU-Isabela City as part of the Peace and Order Public Safety Plan, their immediate installation in designated barangays, and the ongoing construction of the Isabela City Fire Substation in Malamawi Island, including other lineup plans and addressing issues and concerns.

PDEA-Isabela City IA Cuadrazal shared updates on the anti-illegal drug efforts, including the percentage of drug-affected barangays in Isabela City (62.22% as of 2023), the presence of moderately affected barangays, and the identification of five priority barangays for clearing under the Barangay Drug-Clearing Program. She also discussed the prevalence of Methamphetamine Hydrochloride as the primary drug of choice, the average drug price trend, statistics on drug personalities as well as provided recommendations, and highlighted challenges in maritime border protection.

DDAPTP medical coordinator Dr. Sulaiman Tahsin shared updates on the community drug rehabilitation program implementation and its general intervention, highlighting the activities of the CBDRP in 15 barangays targeted for 2023, including the prioritized barangays of Doña Ramona, Lanote, Cabunbata, Panunsulan, and Busay; he also mentioned the gathering of barangay officials to secure their commitment and the categorization of most PWUDs as low risk.

During the meeting, the Council approved to adopt a resolution for a road summit aimed at reducing road mishaps, while also expressing alarm over the increasing incidents of theft and robbery, leading to the suggestion of creating an anti-robbery task force. Furthermore, it was proposed to adopt a localized anti-criminality action plan, approved by and endorsed to the Sangguniang Panlungsod, and a call to identify areas requiring legislative actions to strengthen operations. (Words by SJ Asakil/Photos by M. Santos, CIO)