DILG: Revitalized ‘pulis sa barangay’ to bring gov’t closer to people

FILE: Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin ‘Benhur’ Abalos Jr. delivers his opening statements during the press conference at Camp Crame in Quezon City on Wednesday (Jan. 4, 2023). Abalos said ‘the radical move’ to ask top police officials to submit their courtesy resignation was recommended by Philippine National Police Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. after Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa confirmed the presence of police scalawags in the force. (PNA photo by Joey O. Razon)

MANILA – The implementation of the Revitalized Pulis sa Barangay (RPSB) program could greatly help win the trust and bring the government closer to the people, Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary (DILG) Benhur Abalos said.

Abalos made the remark as he visited Barangay Putatan in Muntinlupa City on Wednesday to check on the progress of the implementation of the RPSB, which he described as a good concept because “it humanizes the police.”

Introduced in 2011 and expanded in 2019, the RPSB embodies the PNP’s commitment to community-oriented policing as law enforcers work to ensure safety and security in the barangays where they are assigned.

“Aside from maintaining law and order, community cops also perform other tasks, such as assisting in live birth registrations, and facilitating free theoretical driving course,” Abalos said, as quoted in a news release on Thursday.

These police officers, he said, also provide home medical assistance and conduct lectures in schools about the DILG’s Buhay Ingatan, Droga’y Ayawan (Protect Life, Avoid Drugs) program, and other services.

Abalos pointed out that under the RPSB, police personnel are immersed in the community so they would be able to learn firsthand from the residents their primary concerns and help them find solutions to their problems.

The mission of the RPSB team encompasses several key objectives, including sustaining progress achieved by government initiatives delivered to the barangays, preventing any potential resurgence of criminal and terrorist groups, and safeguarding the unaffected neighboring communities.

Abalos was joined by Muntinlupa City Mayor Rozzano Rufino Biazon, PNP Directorate for Police Community Relations Maj.

Gen. Edgar Alan Okubo, and DILG Undersecretary Odilon Pasaraba during the visit.

Biazon, meanwhile, thanked Abalos for his visit as he urged his constituents to support the RPSB, which is aligned with the Kapayapaan (Peace) and Kaayusan (Order) components of the 7K agenda of the city government.