By FELIPE V. CELINO
ROXAS City – Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas has ordered the deployment to Capiz of a battalion from the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) Special Action Force (SAF).
Recent violent incidents in the province have alarmed Roxas, the most recent of which was the strafing of a radio station here.
The SAF will augment the battalion of the Regional Mobile Group in Capiz tasked by the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) to conduct checkpoints.
Roxas said the investigations on the recent assassinations of Vice Mayor Abel Martinez of Mambusao, Capiz and Bita, Dao Barangay Captain Wilson Tianchon must be given full attention by the police.
Martinez was shot dead on May 4, 20012 in front of his house by two motorcycle-riding gunmen.
On September 8, two motorcycle-riding men also shot dead Tianchon inside his restaurant on Kilometer One here.
A few days later, the broadcaster center of DyOW Bombo Radyo here was also strafed by two men.
Roxas ordered the police here to intensify the campaign against loose firearms, too.
He also asked Mayor Angel Alan Celino to provide brand new patrol cars to the city police to bolster their peace and order campaign.
The SAF is currently headed by Chief Supt. Cipriano Querol Jr., former director of the PRO-6.
SAF as the PNP’s elite force is trained in several special military combat-related courses and is engaged in anti-guerrilla and anti-terrorist operations.
This unit also provides support to other police units and execute related peace-keeping functions.
In a related story, the PRO-6 has now opened its door to applicants for its SAF.
Chief Supt. Agrimero Cruz Jr., director of the PRO-6, said the SAF will be deploying its Mobile Recruitment Pilot Office here for the purpose of recruiting 258 young professionals to the position of Police Officer I.
"Napakaganda po ng oportunidad ito para sa ating mga kabataan na nangangarap na maglingkod sa bayan bilang isang pulis," Cruz said.
