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Friday, March 29, 2024

‘Constant talk is key to preserving peace’

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By Ayunan Gunting-Al Hadj

The key to preserving peace and order in a locality is constant communication with barangay leaders and constituents, a former three-term mayor of the town of Pantao Ragat in Lanao del Norte said Thursday.

Eleanor Dimaporo Lantud, wife of current Pantao Ragat Mayor Lacson Mangotara Lantud, told Manila Standard that during her term, each leader of their local government “could easily get in touch with her by cell phone.”

“We created a system wherein all barangay officials can easily contact the Mayor’s office whenever criminal elements are known to be operating or hiding in their respective areas,” she said. 

“They are required to do so because if we learn if the presence of these criminals there and they never reported it, they will be charged for harboring these elements.”

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Bae Lantud also advised her constituents to urge relatives or friends known to be drug addicts or pushers to surrender. The former three-term mayor moved to Pantao Ragat when she married Lacson Lantud, a native of the town, in 1982. 

“If they are too frightened or can’t make themselves do this to their kin, they can always contact their barangay captain, whose job is make the criminal elements surrender to the local police,” she said. 

Lantud noted there are cases when the job may be too complicated for the barangay captain to handle criminals in their area, and thus they were advised to seek the assistance of the local police. 

“It may be that the barangay captain could put himself or his family in danger. That’s why we said it is best to contact our office or the local police immediately,” she added.

This system, according to Lantud, has worked effectively in suppressing rebel and terrorist groups. Anyone in any barangay who witnesses unusual movements of rebel groups in their area were briefed to report the situation to their barangay captains, who would immediately contact the Mayor’s office. She said the system has helped prevent ambushes and other terrorist acts and has saved countless lives.

Because of this system of open communication, Lantud said the crime rate and illegal drug use “has been very low” in Pantao Ragat, which has a population of 27,000 as of the 2010 census. 

Near the border of Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur, the fourth-class municipality has both flat and hilly terrain, and produces mainly agricultural products such as corn.

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