GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/03 January) — In a bid to enhance the performance and capabilities of its personnel, the Police Regional Office (PRO)-12 unveiled a “state-of-the-art” training facility at the regional headquarters here.
Chief Supt. Cedrick Train, Region 12 police director, said Tuesday the new facility will serve as “incubator” of police commissioned and non-commissioned officers in the region who have high potentials of assuming leadership roles or positions in the future.
Dubbed Makatarungan Training Complex, the facility was formally inaugurated on Monday in a ceremony joined by Interior and Local Government Secretary Ismael Sueno, local government officials and other stakeholders in Region 12.
Train called the training complex the “regional incubator for police excellence.”
He said the facility is considered “a first in the entire country” in terms of the implementation of the “incubation program.”
“We will train our police personnel there on various competencies and skills to further develop their potentials for higher responsibilities, as well as improve their performance,” he said.
The police official said the facility, which was constructed within the PRO-12 compound in Barangay Tambler here, features a firearms training simulator donated by the United States Embassy in Manila.
He said it also hosts a classroom and a mini-theatre that are outfitted with various modern equipment.
Train said the training facility was constructed through pooled local resources and without any funding from the Philippine National Police central office.
He they received material and funding support for the project from concerned private individuals and local government units (LGUs).
These include the LGUs of Cotabato City, General Santos City, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani.
For the construction works, he said they utilized their personnel who have backgrounds in engineering and those who are skilled in carpentry, masonry and building electrical systems.
“Labor was free and we did not purchase a single hollow block as they were all made by our personnel,” he said.
With the opening of the facility, Train said the PRO-12 could now conduct the regular personnel trainings required by their central office.
In the previous months, he said they did not accomplish a number of trainings due to the lack of facilities and equipment.
“We usually rent venues for our trainings and conferences so this is a major relief in terms of our operational budget,” he said.
Secretary Sueno lauded the PRO-12 for pursuing the project despite the lack of funding from the national government.
He also cited the regional police for continually focusing on the training and upgrading of the capabilities of its personnel.
“We don’t have enough funds to build all these facilities so this is a huge accomplishment,” he said. (MindaNews)
