POLICE, LGU EARN AWARDS. Mayor Bruce Matabalao (right) receives a special stakeholderโs recognition award from PRO-BAR on February 28, 2026, for the city governmentโs involvement in maintaining peace and order in Cotabato Cityโs 37 barangays. (John Unson)
PARANG, Maguindanao del Norte โ Two police units in Cotabato City and the city government received special citations from the Police Regional OfficeโBangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) on Saturday, February 28, for their performance in peacekeeping and law enforcement operations.
The awards were conferred during the nationwide 2026 commemoration of Philippine National Police Day at Camp SK Pendatun in Barangay Making.
Police, LGU awardees
PRO-BAR director Brigadier General Jaysen De Guzman and Bangsamoro Chief Minister Abdulrauf Macacua led the awarding ceremony, which forms part of activities marking the creation of the PNP on January 29, 1991, following the merger of the former Integrated National Police and the Philippine Constabulary.
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Cotabato City Mayor Bruce Matabalao received the special stakeholderโs recognition award on behalf of the city government. The citation is given to local government units supporting police initiatives in maintaining peace and order.
The Cotabato City Police Office was also named PRO-BARโs best city police office for a prolonged period. Its director, Colonel Jibin Bongcayao, received the award during the ceremony.
Bongcayao separately received a plaque as the Bangsamoro regionโs best senior police commissioned officer for operations.
Another awardee was the Cotabato City Mobile Force Company, led by Lieutenant Colonel John Vincent Bravo, which was cited as the best city mobile force company in the region.
Officials said the recognitions reflect coordinated security and anti-crime efforts among the city policeโs four stations, the mobile force company, and the office of the mayor across Cotabato Cityโs 37 barangays.
Awardees cooperation resulted in a decline in gun-related incidents
De Guzman and Macacua told reporters that the collaboration contributed to a decline in gun-related incidents, with only six recorded in the past seven months โ lower compared to previous periods.
Bongcayao and Philippine Drug Enforcement AgencyโBARMM director Edgar Jubay have also acknowledged the support of barangay officials and traditional Moro and non-Moro leaders in anti-drug operations, including entrapments of shabu and marijuana traffickers and the dismantling of drug dens.
The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao covers the provinces of Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, and Tawi-Tawi, as well as the cities of Lamitan, Marawi, and Cotabato.
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