BESAO, Mountain Province – Senior Superintendent Allen Ocden underscored that peace and development is the basic foundation of growth and development in the countryside because of the trust and confidence bestowed by investors to areas that are peaceful like this fifth-class municipality.
Ocden, who is the incumbent provincial director of the Mountain Province Provincial Police Office, graced the town’s 114th founding anniversary and 10th Ubaya festival where he jointed the local official and the residents in the festivities lined up for the celebration.
“Mountain Province is second to Batanes in terms of peace and order. The continuous reign of peace and order in the province is attributed to the cooperation of the people in the implementation of peacekeeping initiatives as the people of the province are considered to be peace-loving,” Ocden stressed.
Aside from being one of the most peaceful and orderly provinces in the country, the police official noted that Besao is one of the drug-cleared municipalities while Mountain Province remains to be one of the drug-cleared provinces in the country.
He expressed his gratitude to the residents and barangay officials who continue to embrace peace as their overarching agenda for development because the reign of peace in the province will attract investors that contribute to the creation of more jobs and provide sustainable sources of livelihood for the people in the locality.
Ocden assured local officials of the continuous support of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in the implementation of anti-criminality and peacekeeping initiatives of the local government for lasting peace in the different municipalities and the province towards the achievement of growth and development in the remote villages.
Mountain Province has the distinction of being one of the most peaceful and orderly provinces with a low crime rate through the years.
Ocden, who traces his roots in Besao, said it is important for stakeholders to sustain the gains of the implementation of peace and order initiatives in their places so that more businesses will be enticed to do business in the locality to achieve the projected robust economic growth in the future.
In terms of the government’s anti-drug campaign, he pointed out that there is a need for parents and guardians of today’s youth to closely watch over the activities of their children to prevent them from being involved in illegal vices, like the use and sale of illegal drugs, which will surely compromise their future.
Ocden said the local police force remains open in extending whatever assistance they could provide in enhancing the needed information and education campaign to teach the youth the right path in life instead of being involved in the use and sale of illegal drugs which will surely ruin their future.
By HENT