Mayor John Dalipe looks with favor on the proposed creation of the City Department of Public Order and Safety, which will take over the responsibility of keeping the city safe.
The proposal was presented by the Security, Peace & Order/Disaster Risk Reduction & Management/Environment through City Administrator Mario Yanga during the Executive Legislative Agenda (ELA) formulation session Friday, Aug. 26, at the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
Yanga emphasized that Zamboanga, being a growing city, needs an office dedicated to maintaining order through the strict enforcement of existing ordinances, ensuring effective traffic management, and improving coordination among security and emergency offices through its very own security command center.
He said uploading these functions from the City Administrator’s Office will help “us focus our oversight role in supervising and coordinating the different functions of our city departments and offices.”
Once created, Yanga said, the DPOS will also allow [the administrator] to focus on his primordial role as principal advisor to the city mayor. “There will be more time in providing sound recommendations and developing plans and strategies for the effective and efficient management and ad of city government operations.”
Yanga appealed for the support of the executive and legislative branches to the proposal as it is in line with the present administration’s mission of transforming the city government towards a more responsive and efficient leadership. “We need the faith and support of our people to ensure victory of our targets as encapsulated in our ELA. This is inclusive governance that puts the process of participation decision making the heart of our administration,” the administrator averred.
Yanga’s proposal lends it pattern from Makati’s Public Safety Department or MAPSA, Quezon City’s Department of Public Order and Safety or DPOS, Muntinlipa’s Public Order and Safety Office, and Davao’s Public Safety and Security Command Center.
“As the next economic giant of Mindanao, Zamboanga City must have its Department of Public Order and Safety,” Yanga stressed.
(Source: City Government of Zamboanga Facebook page)