By Pamela Mariz Geminiano/PNA
BAGUIO CITY — The Barangay Peacekeeping Action Teams (BPATs) will play an important role in giving security, safety, and comfort to the almost 7,000 delegates to the annual Cordillera Administrative Region Athletic Association (CARAA) meet in Apayao on February 27 to March 5, a police official said Wednesday.
“They will be assigned with the police in all places of engagement — billeting, venues, eco-tourism attraction — during the week-long sports event with the other trained uniformed and non-uniformed personnel,” Supt. Jefferson Cariaga, Apayao Police Provincial Office’s deputy director for administration, said during the weekly Kapihan sa Baguio.
Cariaga said like the police, the BPAT members or the force multipliers have undergone training.
“We have provided capability-building courses for our force multipliers for the upcoming hosting of CARAA. They will have a significant role in ensuring the safety of our athletes, coaches and their families,” he added.
Cariaga said the training given to the force multipliers is the same as that provided to members of the Provincial Police Mobile Force and newly-hired policemen, who have been assigned to the province.
“They have received training so they can be highly mobilized,” he added.
Cariaga added that barangay watchmen in four towns in Apayao — Flora, Sta. Marcela, Pudtol and Luna — are highly mobile as the provincial government earlier provided them with patrol vehicles.
Immediately after the 2018 CARAA, Apayao volunteered to the Department of Education-Cordillera to host this year’s event.
Cariaga said that despite Apayao’s low crime rate, the training and security preparations are necessary to deter crimes, to which big events are susceptible.
He said Apayao does not have any peace and order issue, not even political matters that could cause possible concerns.
“The province of Apayao is the most peaceful province next to Batanes. The province also holds the lowest crime volume in the Cordillera,” Cariaga said.
Aside from the force multipliers, Cariaga said the provincial police requested augmentation from the Police Regional Office at Camp Dangwa and from the Philippine National Police support units in Apayao.
Meanwhile, Governor Elias Bulut Jr. urged politicians not to bring armed security escorts.
“My province is very peaceful. Pero kahit na peaceful ang lugar namin, ayaw namin na may magdadala ng gulo (But even if our place is peaceful, we do not want anybody to bring with them any peace and order problem),” Bulut said.
“Everyone is invited. However, they need to adhere to the prescribed rules and regulations in the conduct of the activities to ensure orderliness and prevent the unnecessary interruption while the events are ongoing,” the governor said.
