IPIL, Zamboanga Sibugay (PIA) – The provincial government of Zamboanga Sibugay is intensifying efforts to curb crime, improve road safety and promote drug-free workplaces following the latest reports on peace and order in the province during the first-quarter joint Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC)-Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council (PADAC)-Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (PTF-ELCAC) meeting at the provincial capitol.
Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) Chairperson Gov. Ann K. Hofer, who also heads the PPOC, commended the Philippine National Police (PNP) for the significant drop in criminality from January to March 2025.
“We don’t want to see a spike in criminality in our next RPOC meeting,” she emphasized, urging continued vigilance ahead of the election period.
The PNP credited intensified crime prevention strategies for the decline in crime volume.
However, traffic-related incidents accounted for 56.9% of total crimes, prompting a proposal for motorcycle lanes to ease congestion and enhance road safety.
Meanwhile, Zamboanga Sibugay remains insurgency-free, having been declared CTG-free and development-ready since 2020. The province also continues to strengthen its anti-drug campaign, with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) reporting 74 operations from January to March 2025, leading to 81 arrests and the confiscation of 126.539 grams of illegal drugs worth P860,465.20.
PDEA also updated the provincial drug situation, noting that 256 of 389 barangays have been declared drug-cleared, 121 remain drug-affected, while 12 are classified as drug-free but awaiting validation. In line with its Drug-Free Workplace Program, PDEA announced that LGU Titay will soon become the first officially declared drug-free LGU in the province.
The commitment to crime prevention, road safety and a drug-free community remains a top priority for the provincial government, ensuring a safer and more secure environment for Sibugaynons. (EDT/JPA/PIA9-Zamboanga Sibugay)
