Cordillera Region gets 113 rookie policemen

By Dexter A. See

CAMP DANGWA, La Trinidad, Benguet – The new leadership of the Police Regional Office in the Cordillera welcomed 113 rookie policemen to strengthen police anti-criminality, anti-insurgency and anti-terrorism programs.

“We are in an era where wars are not won in the battlefields but they are won in the midst of the communities we serve,” Chief Supt. Benjamin B. Magalong, newly-installed regional director of the Police Regional Office in the Cordillera, told the new police recruits which were subjected to the traditional reception rites before they were turned over to the administration of the Cordillera Administrative Region Training School based in Teachers Camp here for a six-month basic police recruit course.

Out of the aforesaid number of police recruits, 31 are females while 78 are males who passed the rigid written and physical examination which was given out for the aspiring law enforcers.

The new police recruits are part of the 125 policemen quota of the PRO-COR for the second semester of this year.

“Once you wear the coveted uniform, your actions, good or bad, will have a great impact on the image of the Philippine National Police (PNP), thus, you must act with great responsibility,” Magalong stressed.

After undergoing the six-month basic police recruit course, the rookie policemen will undergo another six-month field training program to allow them to acquaint themselves with the heavy burden on the shoulders which are ahead of them once they are assigned as regular members of the police force.

Magalong assured aspiring policemen that the PNP will be on a massive recruitment nationwide in order to address the police to population ration, thus, the Cordillera stands to have a share of the pie once the quota for each region will be released by the PNP national headquarters.

Currently, the average police to population ratio in the Cordillera is 1 policeman is to more than 900 people which is still way below the ideal police to population ratio of 1:500.

During the first semester of this year, a total of 206 rookie policemen were commissioned as Police Officer 1 and are set to complete their six-month basic recruit course by the end of this year and will be ready for deployment for their field training program.

Magalong explained the massive recruitment to be done by the PNP will greatly help in improving the anti-criminality, anti-insurgency and anti-terrorism campaign of the police force, especially in conflict-stricken areas of the country so that lasting peace will be achieved.