GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/09 October) — The Police Regional Office (PRO) 12 will deploy an additional 256 police personnel here and in Cotabato City in preparation for the May 2016 local and national elections.
Senior Supt. Danilo Peralta, PRO-12’s human resources division chief, said Friday the augmentation personnel comprise the regional office’s newest batch of police recruits who have completed their basic training.
He said they graduated on Thursday from the six-month mandatory Field Training Program facilitated by the PRO-12’s Regional Training School (RTS) here.
Prior to the field training, he said the recruits underwent the six-month Public Safety Basic Recruit Course.
“We programmed their training in time for the start of the preparations for the 2016 elections,” Peralta said.
Election-related activities will officially begin next week with the filing of the Certificates of Candidacy of aspirants for various elective posts in the May 9, 2016 polls.
Police and military units in the region earlier intensified their security operations in preparation for the filing of the COCs on Oct. 12 to 16.
Peralta said 150 of the new police personnel will be assigned in various units in this city and the remaining 106 in Cotabato City.
He said these personnel were trained for various duties before, during and after the scheduled elections.
Supt. Mario Cortes, RTS-12 director, said they trained the new police personnel on security, public safety and enforcement operations during elections.
In July, the PRO-12 hired some 277 police personnel to fill up its initial hiring quota for this year as set by the Philippine National Police central office.
The region was allotted 200 slots this year to fill up the personnel need of the Regional Public Safety Battalion 77 slots for the unfilled vacancies in last year’s quota.
The new police recruits, who are composed of 252 males and 25 females, are currently taking up the six-month basic training at the RTS-12. (MindaNews)
