CEBU, Philippines — The first policewoman to head the Cebu City Police Office has officially assumed her post.
Senior Superintendent Royina Garma said being the first woman to fill in the shoes of a city director does not intimidate her in any way.
"It is just a thought," she said.
Garma, whose leadership skills were honed in President Rodrigo Duterte's hometown, Davao City, was a former chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Central Visayas.
She said that she will exercise an "iron fist" against crime in Cebu City, and in the campaign against illegal drugs and cleansing the police ranks of all scalawags involved in illegal businesses.
"Cebu City Police Office will mean business in the talk of war on drugs. We will go to war when we talk about criminality and anti-illegal drug campaign," Garma said.
Garma said that there will be new policies and programs to make the community to feel police presence.
She also plans to introduce the electronic blotter system, victims need not travel to far-off police stations in the city to report a crime. Using this system, victims can flag down any mobile patrol cars to report a crime.
Garma said that her experience as station commander in Davao City, taught her the skills needed in policing, which should be an inter-agency approach including rehabilitation and prevention strategies.
Although Garma said that she is not keen on getting awards or achievements based on numbers and statistics, she said she will work hard until the last drug lord is in jail, and drug pushers and users are rehabilitated.
Police Regional Office-7 director Chief Superintendent Debold Sinas said that Garma may be able to surpass what her predecessor, Senior Superintendent Joel Doria, has achieved so far.
Doria is currently assigned to the PRO-7 Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit as he waits for an available post befitting his rank and accomplishment.
Under Doria's leadership from July 2016 to June 2018, a total of P414 million in illegal drugs was seized, 4,400 raids conducted, around 7,000 drug suspects arrested, and around 8,663 cases were filed in connection to the anti-drug campaign.
In the war against illegal gambling, CCPO under Doria conducted 1,645 operations, arrested 3,181 individuals, filed cases against 1,226 suspects, and confiscated 1,574 moli-moli slot machines.
Doria's Oplan Pokemon, also resulted in the arrest of 4,856 persons, confiscation of 7,014 grams of shabu worth P78.2 million, seizure of 119 loose firearms, 707 gambling machines, and P425,363 in cash.
The Metrobank Foundation Inc. also recognized him as one of the Outstanding Filipino Men for 2017, awarding him P1 million and a gold plaque. Last June 19, MBFI also awarded him Metrobank Foundation Fellow in Public Service.
During his almost two years as Cebu City police chief he was also cited by an online database that provides information about the living conditions in countries around the world. Cebu City was ranked eighth safest city in Southeast Asia.
In his farewell speech during the relinquishment of honors, Doria said the success of CCPO was made possible by everyone's efforts.
"The accomplishment of the CCPO would have not been the same without the support of the selfless, tireless people that we worked with," he said. (FREEMAN)