Candelaria, Zambales - Members of the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) and the Peace and Order and Public Safety (POPS) Technical Working Group convened on July 25, 2019 for the crafting of a draft POPS Plan for CY 2020-2022. It was held at the Isla de Potipot Hotel and Beach Resort.

The POPS Plan charts the three-year direction of the province that will fill in the gaps and shed light on peace and order and public safety issues and challenges for the past years.
The Peace and Order and Public Safety Plan for 2020-2022 aims to improve the quality of life in the province, wherein social protection initiatives are strategized based on the current peace and order and public safety situation in the province, with the LGU's mission and vision as the guiding light.
Governor Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., in his capacity as PPOC Chairman, encouraged everyone's participation while highlighting the relevance of the planning activity. He added that the commitment of each office not only in the crafting of the plan but also in its implementation is highly expected.
DILG Zambales Provincial Director Armi Bactad has encouraged the members and partner CSOs and National Government Agencies to come up with workable and evidence-based proposals, which will be highly instrumental in addressing the peace and order and public safety in the province, and lay down the same for possible funding by the Provincial Government.
Also, DILG Zambales personnel LGOOs V Nedricks Canlas and Shieralyn Esteban discussed DILG Memorandum Circular 2015-128, which provides for the guidelines in the formulation of the POPS Plan. Meanwhile, Acting Program Manager LGOO VI Cindy Cagalitan presented the province's previous plan for CY 2017-2019 in order to revisit the identified POPS issues and challenges, as well as the strategized policies, programs, projects, activities and services. This has enabled all of the concerned offices to look into the items for revision and/or updating based on the present situation of the LGU. Among the key peace and order issues identified were proliferation of illegal drugs, road accidents, and fire incidents.
Also present in the activity were Provincial Administrator Omar Ebdane, PNP Provincial Director PCOL. Ponce Rogelio Penones Jr., PDEA Provincial Officer Marie Fe Manto, Col. Bagaporo, representatives from Philippine Army 3rd Mechanized Battalion, Provincial Jail Warden Tacdoy, International Police Commission (CSO and Department Heads of the Provincial Government.