The Police Regional Office (PRO 11) will establish an Indigenous People (IP) Desks in all police stations all over the region.
PRO 11 director Chief Supt. Marcelo Morales said the plan intends to assist IP tribes who are lodging complaints in the police stations.
“Sila yung mag aasikaso sa mga concerns or complains ng mga IP members natin (They will be the one to look into the concerns or complains of our IP members),” he said.
Morales said that 85 percent of the police officers who will be assigned in IP desks are also members of tribal denominations to ensure that there culture and traditions will be respected.
He said all police officers deployed as IP Desk officers will undergo seminars and training to know the right thing to do in dealing IP concerns.
“Hindi sila basta-basta mag file ng cases sa hukuman until hindi muna dumaan sa mga tribal leaders ng community nila (They should not file cases in the court unless it undergo mediation process from tf tribal leaders in their community),” he said.
Morales said there are already 80 police officers from PRO 11 who will undergo seminar while 60 personnel in every provincial and city police offices will be also trained.
National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP) Chairman Leonor Oralde-Quintayo commended the PRO 11 for establishing desk that will now cater the needs of IP.
“Congratulations for this big accomplishment, I say big because not all are doing great for the Indigenous People,” he said.
Quintayo said she might show this to the PNP central office so that it will be replicated to other regions.
“As far as I am concerned, I’ve been through all over the Philippines, but you are the first who do this IP Desk,” he said.
On Friday, the PRO 11 and NCIP 11 along with the Indigenous People Mandatory Representative and tribal leaders signed a memorandum of agreement to formalize the implementation of this project.
