PNP SCOUT to beef up campaign against local terrorist movement in Eastern Visayas

By RPCRD, Police Regional Office 8
September 21, 2012

CAMP SEC. RUPERTO K. KANGLEON, Palo, Leyte  –  “Being a police officer is not about what you can or cannot do, it’s about what you should do”.

This was the reminder of Police Regional Director PCSupt Elmer Ragadio Soria to his men as the Police Regional Office 8 today held the Joint Opening and Closing Ceremony of the PNP Scout Training at the PRO8 Grandstand.

Soria exhorted the active role of the PNP in the anti-insurgency campaign, and the need to initiate aggressive campaign against criminalities and terrorism even as he expressed the corresponding need to further enhance the PNP’s Internal Security Operations (ISO) capability.

“Enforce the law with respect to human rights as you transform yourselves into professional internal security specialists with the best interest of the community foremost in your hearts”, the Regional Director said. He also encouraged the next batch of trainees to make the most out of the special training, participate in all undertakings, and make a genuine effort to improve themselves.

A total of 195 police personnel have officially completed the PNP Special Counter Insurgency Unit Training (PNP SCOUT) under the SCOUT Class 17-2012 while 187 others will start training under the SCOUT Class 18-2012 to be held at the Regional Special Training Unit 8 (RSTU8).

The PNP SCOUT is a rigid 45-day training designed to equip police officers with the requisite skills and confidence that will give them a distinct advantage in counter-insurgency and local terrorism operation. The training puts premium on combat skills development, jungle fighting and survival techniques and also teaches the participants the principles and techniques of urban crisis response operations primarily on search and rescue (SAR), and police intervention preparedness.

Soria added that aside from maintaining peace and order, it is also the PNP’s duty and responsibility to secure public safety, including responding to emergencies during calamities.

“We make sure that every PNP personnel deployed is ever-ready, capable and efficient in handling his duties and responsibilities,” Soria disclosed.