The Philippine National Police is stepping-up its internal security and anti-criminality operations in Eastern Visayas to complement the national government program to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAL).
PNP Chief, Police General Debold M Sinas, ordered the deployment to Eastern Visayas of 226 more police commandos from the PNP Special Action Force (SAF) to beef-up capability of Police Regional Office-8 for anti-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations in the region.
The 226 police commandos graduated in Calbayog City on Friday from the grueling 6-month SAF Commando Course, the final rite of passage to the elite circle of SAF police commandos.
Sinas personally graced the graduation ceremony as guest of honor and speaker where he announced instructions to graduates of SAF Commando Course Class 107 and Class 108 to remain in Eastern Visayas.
In the same ceremony Some members of Philippine Military Academy “Maringal” Class 1988 were inducted as honorary graduates of the SAF Commando Course.
Sinas said these police commandos will be deployed to Forward Operating Bases of PNP-SAF in the Eastern Visayas provinces where internal security operations are currently underway against the communist New People’s Army.
They will also provide tactical support to local police units in anti-criminality operations, he added.
A SAF trainee, Patrolman Marvin Allata, died during test mission of the SAF Commando Course in Barangay Mabini, Basey, Samar last December 13, 2020 when he was stabbed dead by a suspect he arrested for carrying a home-made shotgun. The suspect was re-arrested after three days of manhunt operations.
(PNP-PIO)
