LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The Police Regional Office (PRO-Cor) will heighten its security preparations during the holiday season following President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration that there will be no ceasefire with the New People’s Army this year.
“We will be on full blast in our internal security operation to safeguard our people and maintain peace and order,” PRO-Cor Dir. B/Gen. R’Win Pagkalinawan said in a recent media briefing.
He said the police and the military will jointly operate against the NPAs.
“Ginagamit lang ng makakaliwang grupo ang truce para magpalakas ng pwersa kaya maganda at hindi nagdeclare (ng ceasefire) ang ating Pangulo,” Pagkalinawan said.
He said all policemen will be on duty and will be on heightened alert during the holidays to secure the communities for any eventuality.
He said checkpoints have already established at strategic areas and additional mobile checkpoints will be set up as part of the internal security operations during the holidays.
Pagkalinawan expressed confidence that members of the community will provide information on the presence of NPA as shown in the past months where declarations of “persona-non-grata” for the left-leaning organizations were declared.
He said local governments, down to the barangays, have expressed their dislike of the presence of the NPAs in their communities and have decided to support the government’s effort to end local communist armed conflict. – PNA
