ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / July 1, 2013) – From a fleet of small prowl jeeps, the local police force now have 9 new all-terrain pick-up trucks to augment its mobile patrol in Zamboanga City.
The trucks were handed over to the Zamboanga City Police Office by new mayor Maria Isabelle Salazar to equip police stations in far-flung villages.
Salazar, who was the Deputy House Speaker before being elected as mayor, vowed to provide more vehicles and other equipment to the police. Climaco previously donated vans to many villages in Zamboanga during her stint in Congress.
The police force and villages had been using small jeeps called multi-cabs provided by the previous Lobregat administration, but those did not last long.
Salazar said the pick-up trucks, converted into mobile patrol vehicles, will equip police precincts and make them more capable in responding to emergencies and atrocities in Zamboanga.
“We envision a safe and crime-free Zamboanga City enjoying a vibrant, investor-friendly economy that will serve the global community, able to provide jobs to its people and can secure a better future for our children,” she said.
Salazar also encouraged everyone to join her and move forward with a shared vision and a collective sense of mission constituency-responsive governance.
“Government cannot do it alone. This government is also your own to earn, shape and lead. Citizen participation does not end in discussion of issues but should extend to policy implementation and community engagement. Only then can we achieve peace. But peace is beyond the idea of tranquility, it is also the provision of basic needs for human security and well-being, reaching out to the very core of the human heart,” she said.
Just over the weekend, Salazar put up tents in front of City Hall where locals enjoyed free massage, haircut, manicure and pedicure and cooking demonstrations in what she called the “People’s Day.”
She said security, health and education will remain important performance areas of her administration. (Mindanao Examiner)
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