Lamitan police Basilan’s best in community relations

LAMITAN CITY --- The city police has acknowledged the contribution of Muslim and Christian sectors to its having been cited as outstanding in community relations from among all police units in Basilan.

Lt. Col. Christopher Panapan received Monday from the Basilan provincial police the citation stating that the Lamitan City police topped the list of units in the island province that engaged in police-community relations (PCR) projects the past 12 months.

“For this, I give credit to our mayor, the vice mayor and all the barangay captains in Lamitan City for having been so supportive of our PCR efforts,” said Panapan, chief of the Lamitan City police.

Lamitan City is the capital of Basilan, once a bastion of the feared Abu Sayyaf where there is fragile peace now after more than 200 members of the group surrendered in batches from between 2017 to early this year.

The now reforming former Abu Sayyaf members returned to the fold of law through the intercession of units under the provincial police, Gov. Jim Salliman, Congressman Mujiv Hataman and the Western Mindanao Command.

Brig. Gen. Marni Marcos, director of the Bangsamoro regional police, said Tuesday he is thankful to the support of elected officials in Lamitan City and the office of Salliman to the PCR campaign of Panapan and his subordinate-police personnel.

“Good PCR programs hasten our law-enforcement activities. Without the support of local executives and the barangay officials under them, we can’t deliver much of what is expected from us,” Marcos said.

Marcos, who belongs to the class 1988 of the Philippine Military Academy, said he is aware of how the mayor of Lamitan City, the now three-termer Rose Furigay, is helping the city police carry out its activities, particularly its PCR programs promoting Muslim-Christian solidarity.

“We are thankful, grateful for that,” Marcos said Tuesday.