By: Keziah Nicole Fernandez
The collaboration between the University of the Cordilleras (UC) and the Police Regional Office–Cordillera (PRO-CAR) has established a strong foundation for developing a crucial technological resource designed to improve community safety: the Web-Based Online Crime Evaluation System (WeBOCES). This meeting, held on November 7, 2025, in the Conference Room, was the necessary first step to ensure this online tool will work for the police in the field.
Vice President Ariel Nimo Pumecha introduced the UC research team, while PCOL Lazona introduced the PRO-CAR representatives, including Engineer Meneses. VP Ariel emphasized that the focal point for the partnership was to obtain advice, teamwork, and approval from the police and technical staff on the overall plan for the project. The goal is to make sure the WeBOCES application matches how police work actually happens day-to-day, what information they need, and to achieve the main goals of the PNP in order to advance fact-based policing.
VP Ariel Introducing the UC Project Team
The discussions covered all aspects of the system’s creation. Dean Robino Cawi presented the project’s schedule, progress updates, and the step-by-step plan for building the system, including how they will conduct the study and who they plan to survey. To ensure the information collected is useful, the UC team showed sample questions to the police officers to confirm they were appropriate and relevant to police duties and community needs. Mishael Valdez followed up by explaining the application’s design and how it will actually operate once implemented. During these sessions, the PNP personnel offered valuable initial feedback, answered questions, and suggested ways to make the system easier and more efficient.
The meeting was a success, demonstrating a shared commitment to using new technology and research to enhance police effectiveness. PCOL Lazona expressed interest in continuing the collaboration and made a significant commitment — to create a dedicated core group from the PNP to work directly with UC researchers to improve and finalize the application. He also proposed a follow-up meeting specifically to review all the survey questions. In summary, both parties agreed on their shared objective: advancing research and innovation to make police operations more data-driven and boost community safety across the Cordillera region.
This local institutional partnership directly supports several critical global initiatives set forth by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By creating an effective tool that ensures police operations are transparent and driven by accurate data, the project strongly contributes to the goal of Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions (SDG 16). Furthermore, the very act of an academic research team (UC) partnering with a key government body (PRO-CAR) to solve a public safety challenge exemplifies Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17). Finally, the investment in developing this specialized online application to improve essential public safety services represents a dedication to Innovation and Infrastructure (SDG 9).
Photos and Report by: Ms. Lanie Toriao
