President Aquino appoints Duterte as peace and order chair in Region 9

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. Photo courtesy of Shem Longakit and Davao City by Battad

DAVAO CITY –- Amid terror threat in Davao City, President Benigno S. Aquino III has officially appointed Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to head the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC XI).

Duterte’s appointment paper was handed to him by Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Manuel Roxas II at the Marco Polo Hotel after a press conference on Sunday night.

Duterte was earlier elected chair by members of the RPOC, which is the body that develops peace and order strategies for Davao region.

The mayor is not new to this role having served as chair during his previous terms as mayor of Davao City.

Duterte is currently on the lead of seeing to it that the city remains peaceful amid threats of terror attacks since last week.

Meanwhile, Roxas sworn in Davao del Norte Governor Rodolfo del Rosario as Chairman of the Regional Development Council (RDC XI) at the SMX Convention Center in Davao City.

President Aquino signed Del Rosario’s appointment as RDC-XI Chair last May 16, making him the fourth chairperson since the Council’s establishment in 1986.

Del Rosario vowed to fulfill his mandate as head of the highest policy-making body that sets the direction of all the economic and social development efforts in the Davao Region.

Del Rosario is committed to hasten the implementation of the updated Regional Development Plan, which charts the Region XI’s development until 2016 that will pave the way for attaining the region’s vision as the nation’s rising global frontier.

The governor announced he will call for the review of all the plans and projects proposed in the RDC since two decades ago.

In a press release, the governor said he will push big ticket projects that are deemed indispensable to the growth of the region, such as the proposed bridge linking the Island Garden City of Samal to Davao City.

Del Rosario also plans to push the improvement of the accessibility of tourism attractions and enhanced agricultural production; massive expansion of high-value crops, such cacao, coffee, palm oil, and rubber, among others; maximize productivity and further the agri-based economy of the region.