Olongapo PNP tap barangays as force multipliers

OLONGAPO City: Close to 700 officials of barangays, civic and nongovernment organizations completed a peacekeeping operation training conducted by the local Olongapo police.

The Olongapo City Police Director, Senior Supt. Avelardo Villacorta, said that the training is part of their program dubbed as Project Kabisig which aims to make barangay officials and other organizations as force multipliers.

We need them as force multipliers because we have limited police personnel to secure the whole city of Olongapo which is a beckon of progress in Zambales because of Subic Bay Freeport, he said.

Carlito Baloy, President of the Association of Barangay Chairmen said that the training was a first and truly a big help for their respective barangays.

The three-day training help us in our daily jobs and peacekeepers of our community, we are at the forefront of peacekeeping and we are always the first responders in any given situations, knowledge is power and this was a great gift that our local police gave us, Baloy added.

Vilacorta explained that besides sharing what they know, they were also able to establish a strong partnership with the barangays in crime fighting. -- Anthony Bayarong - Manila Times