Negros Oriental to be counter-insurgency training ground

MANILA, Philippines - Negros Oriental will be the training ground for the police's Special Counter-insurgency Operations Unit (Scout). Visayan Daily Star reported that provincial police head Sr. Supt. Augusto Marquez said the “Scout" program will have recruits mostly from Central Visayas. Marquez said about 300 PNP recruits who finished their basic course will have to undergo the Scout phase before they can be assigned to the different stations in the province. The Scout training used to be conducted at the Regional Mobile Group camp in Sibonga, Cebu, but training for three batches were delayed due to several events in the region. Marquez said the training in Negros Oriental will start before the year ends or by the first quarter of 2009. He said it will include lectures and ground activities for 45 days aside from the test mission against the New People's Army rebels. Marquez said they have identified the PMG camp in Nagbagang as one of the training sites for the Scout. He added that the province has many good locations for enhancing the skills and survival of the trainees. Facilitating the course will be 47 former Special Action Force troopers of the Negros Oriental PNP as instructors. The additional 300 police officers will create a big impact to Negros Oriental as they will complement the existing forces of the 79th Infantry Battalion and 11th IB of the Philippine Army, Marquez said. He added that the PNP and the military have strong and effective working relationship in fighting insurgency, and he is confident that the 2010 target to end rebellion can be achieved. -GMANews.TV