San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora was sworn in as the new chairman of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) of Metro Manila during its 1st quarter meeting for 2023 on Monday, March 13.
The oath-taking was held at the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Head Office in Pasig City and was attended by Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Sec. Benhur Abalos and other government officials.
Zamora expressed his gratitude to President Marcos for his appointment and vowed to do his utmost in helping preserve peace and order in Metro Manila
"It is truly an honor to have been appointed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. as the Chairman of the Regional Peace and Order Council for Metro Manila. Thank you so much sir for the trust and confidence you have given me, your Mayor and fellow San Juaneño. I would also like to thank DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. for all the support he has given me in relation to my appointment as RPOC Chairman," Zamora said.
“We have been entrusted with very important responsibilities that will configure major policies of the government in the National Capital Region (NCR) from economic development to healthcare, to peace and order and security, to traffic management, and all other aspects of governance that affect the millions of people living and working in Metro Manila,” he added.
Aside from being the mayor of San Juan City and the new chairman of the RPOC in the NCR, Zamora also serves as the vice chairman of the Regional Development Council (RDC) in the NCR and president of the Metro Manila Council (MMC).
JTF-NCR Commander Col. Alexei Musñgi also took his oath as the RPOC's vice chairman
The RPOC plays an integral role in the national government's campaign to go grassroots in fighting criminality, illegal drugs, insurgency and violent extremism. It also becomes an instrument for stronger collaboration between the administration and the LGUs in carrying out projects related to peace and order.
Citing his city's achievements in peace and order, Zamora said that the city of San Juan has the lowest crime rate among other cities in Metro Manila according to data from the Philippine National Police (PNP), and was recently awarded by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) as the first city in Metro Manila with 100 percent of its barangays drug-cleared.
Zamora had earlier expressed his support to the national government’s latest program against illegal drugs which aims to use a more holistic approach to the country’s illegal drug problem.
Dubbed as the “Buhay ay Ingatan, Droga ay Ayawan” or BIDA program of Sec. Abalos and the Marcos administration, it is a nationwide anti-illegal drugs advocacy program involving local government units (LGUs), national government agencies (NGAs), and other key sectors of the society.
It will focus more on drug demand reduction and rehabilitation in the communities, underscoring the role of drug enforcement agencies, including the PNP, PDEA, and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
“It is a holistic approach into the drug war incorporating livelihood, education, the church addressing the social ills of our country. So, we address not just the branches causing the problems, but also uproot the drug problem. That is the framework of the BIDA program of Sec. Abalos,” Zamora said.
He also vowed to eradicate illegal drugs in the city by personally joining drug raids with the city’s police force to make sure that the implementation of the protocols are correct.
Zamora said the city government is currently fixing its Balai Silangan which will serve as San Juan’s drug reformation center where a PDEA office will also be built. The reformation center is funded by the city government . Here, patients will be taught livelihood programs and classes to help them in their reintegration to society.
“We look at our PWUDs or the persons who use drugs as our constituents whom we have to support in terms of getting reintegrated back into the community. So we are setting this up for them, we will fund this for them, and we will make sure that during their stay here, they will be able to learn how to go back to normal life,” Zamora said.
“Yes, they have experienced getting into drugs, being hooked into these substances, but again, we have to give them a second chance to be able to reintegrate themselves into the community,” he added.