BUTUAN CITY – The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) revealed that safety and security continued to be the strong drivers of Caraga Region, during a survey presentation and meeting at Police Regional Office (PRO) – 13 conference hall, Camp Col. Rafael C. Rodriguez on January 11, 2024, Thursday.
MinDA Public Relations Chief, Dr. Adrian M. Tamayo, presented the said result of the 2023 3rd quarter survey for Caraga conducted from November to December, on the account of public satisfaction, trust, and respect as indicators.
“The strong drivers of Caraga remain to be safety and security,” said Tamayo, stating that such indicators will boost the region’s attractiveness for business, investments, and tourism activities.
Tamayo also stressed that such achievement is induced by the public’s satisfaction on public safety and security services of PRO-13 in different provinces and municipalities.
In addition, Agusan del Sur has been remarkable in the area of police assistance, as well as metrics of respect, trust, and security, all at 94 percent.
Dinagat Islands maintained the top for hotline awareness and safety metrics. These two police provincial offices pulled up the Caraga rating's high at 91 percent.
Tamayo also added that “on the whole, Caraga enjoyed impressive public satisfaction on the account of stability in terms of trust and respect” which rated 91.2 percent.
Meanwhile, PRO-13 Acting Deputy Regional Director for Administration, PCOL Eleazar P. Matta said that the Caraga's study is very valuable to improve further service delivery, particularly on crime prevention, policing, and community relations. “We are very thankful to MinDA for this effort. Without you and the PRO’s contribution, we won’t have this impressive result compared to other regions,” Matta said.
The scopes of the study include Butuan City, Surigaodel Norte, Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, and Dinagat Islands. Variables administered are safety, respect, trust, security, and satisfaction using systematic sampling for 1,202 respondents.
Supporting the study, MinDA Secretary Maria Belen S. Acosta said that MTRSS also could help communicate an accurate narrative and image about Mindanao. Despite some challenges and isolated incidents, “Mindanao continues to expand, grow and prosper given its rich natural resources and positive outlook of the citizens,” said Acosta.
The Caraga survey is part of Mindanao Trust, Respect, and Safety Study (MTRSS), a scientific baseline study on the Philippine National Police’s public safety satisfaction and service delivery initiated by MinDA since 2022.
Using the study’s statistical data and result, the overall objective is to present Caraga and Mindanao as a whole, as a viable hub for business and leisure activities, investment opportunities, and tourist arrivals to propel greater economic growth.
It is also one of MinDA’s initiatives supporting the agenda nine on peace, governance, and institutions of the Mindanao Development Agenda 2023-2028. (Jimmy K. Musa,MinDA)
