Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Debold Sinas met with three Catholic bishops in Negros Island to begin exploratory talks on “areas of mutual cooperation,” a statement from his office said today, February 8.
Sinas and top officials of the PNP met with bishops Patricio Buzon of Bacolod, Gerardo Alminaza of San Carlos, and Louie Galbines of Kabankalan at the Bishop’s House in Bacolod City Sunday, February 7.
The bishops have been calling for an end to extrajudicial killings in Negros Island.
“The meeting delved on some exploratory areas of mutual cooperation between the Church and the police sector in Negros Island in order to address the combined security and moral/spiritual dimensions of peacekeeping, law and order, justice and human rights in the area,” a PNP statement said today, February 8.
The meeting has led to forward-looking, stronger bilateral relations between the top leadership of the PNP and the Church leaders in Negros Occidental and Oriental, it said.
They agreed to hold another meeting this month, which is a prelude to a series of future meetings, with details to be finalized soon by both parties, the statement added.
The Sunday visit to the Bishop’s House was the main reason for Sinas presence in Bacolod after he attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the transient quarters at the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, it said.
Buzon “expressed gratitude and appreciation to General Sinas for his humility and gesture of extending his arms of mutual understanding and cooperation with the Church in order to assuage the concerns of the latter on the peace and order in the two Negros provinces,” the statement added.
“The Catholic Church provides one of the strongest pillars of support to the PNP in its selfless desire to serve and protect the community,” Sinas said.
Buzon, on Sunday, said he could not disclose what they discussed with Sinas at their closed-door meeting as they agreed not to divulge the details.
Meanwhile, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson Jr. said Sinas told him his message to the police in Negros Occidental is still the same as the order of the president – to continue the war against illegal drugs.
They will also go on with their drive against corruption, illegal gambling and are committed to ending the local communist insurgency, Sinas said.*