GENERAL SANTOS CITY — The Police Regional Office (PRO)-12 has received at least 22 brand new patrol vehicles from the Philippine National Police (PNP) central office.
Chief Supt. Eliseo Tam Rasco, PRO-12 regional director, said Monday they formally released the Toyota 4X2 single cab patrol vehicles over the weekend to recipient-police stations and support units in parts of Soccsksargen (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos City).
He said the delivery of additional patrol vehicles was part of the PNP central office’s continuing augmentation and enhancement of the operational capability of local police units.
The recipients were the seven police stations and the city mobile force company of this city; provincial police headquarters and the police stations of Bagumbayan, Lebak and Palimbang towns and Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat; city mobile force company and four police stations of Cotabato City; municipal police stations of Kiamba, Maitum and Malungon in Sarangani; and the Tulunan municipal police station in North Cotabato.
“These new patrol vehicles mainly improve the mobility of our police units and specifically enable them to respond quickly to any eventuality,” he told reporters.
Rasco thanked President Rodrigo Duterte and PNP Director General Oscar Albayalde for including the region as among the priorities for the augmentation of patrol vehicles.
In a statement, City Mayor Ronnel Rivera lauded the PNP and the PRO-12 for the delivery of the eight new patrol vehicles to the city.
He said the move shows that the regional police is “really serious in serving and protecting the people of Soccksargen.”
The mayor said the new patrol vehicles would be very useful in the security and anti-criminality campaigns as well during emergencies like calamities and accidents.
Rivera said their deployment will boost the intensified security measures in the area, which is currently under alert level 3, following the bomb explosion in Makar junction, Barangay Apopong that left eight people wounded.
“Rest assured that our partnership with the PNP and PRO-12 will be even more strengthened. We will further improve our peace and order programs to better secure and serve our constituents,” he added. (PNA)
