A total of 1,262 personnel officially took their oath as Public Safety and Security Auxiliary (PSSA) on Friday after completing a four-day orientation held at the Agdao Farmers’ Market.
PSSO Head Angel Sumagaysay, in an interview on Friday, said that the personnel will start rendering their duties on Monday as PSSA personnel under the Public Safety and Security Office (PSSO), deployed on the ground in coordination with the Davao City Police Office.
“The implementing office starting this month kay ang (is the) Public Safety and Security Office. Tactically, they will be deployed in the stations,” he said.
Sumagaysay explained that operationally, the auxiliary personnel are controlled by the PSSO, which is why he requested an orientation. These personnel are also hired under the City Government of Davao.
The orientation highlighted the duties and functions of the PSSA, city ordinances, culture of security, bomb detection, intelligence gathering and reporting, patrolling, arrest, cease and seizure, drills, as well as the guidelines and limitations of the PSSA.
Davao City Acting Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, in a speech read by Davao City Deputy Chief of Staff Atty. Jonah Margarette F. Presto, said that the orientation is essential as it does not only discuss the duties and responsibilities of the PSSA but also equips them with essential skills and operational guidelines that reinforce their sense of responsibility and discipline, while promoting best practices in city government public safety.
Presto congratulated all the training completers, as well as the division chiefs, trainers, and station commanders.
“Reminder lang na unsa ang atong trabaho dinhi, which is to serve Dabawenyos. Kaning inyong trabaho is a privilege, dili ni katungod nga inyong panghawakan. Dili ni siya katungod or license nga mag-abuso ta. Hopefully, atong panindigan ang pride sa Dabawenyos nga ang pagka-Dabawenyo kay kuyaw, maayo, ug disiplinado (Just a reminder of what our job here is, which is to serve the Dabawenyos. This work of yours is a privilege, not a right that you can abuse. It is not a right or a license to abuse power. Hopefully, we will uphold the pride of the Dabawenyos—that being a Dabawenyo means being strong, good, and disciplined),” she said.
Sumagaysay added that to monitor the PSSA, they will assign checkers and team leaders to check their daily attendance based on their deployment per police station.
The City Government of Davao provided the uniforms of the personnel and other services for their mental and physical wellness.
To further solidify the structure of the PSSA, Sumagaysay said that they are eyeing to propose the institutionalization of the PSSA through an Executive Order or a City Ordinance.
He also said that they plan to add more trainings for the auxiliary personnel in the future to make them adept in various skills they can use on the ground, such as traffic control.
Sumagaysay said they continue to remind the PSSA to function according to their mandate on the ground, to coordinate with and respect their senior officers, as well as barangay officials.
