One hundred twenty-one police personnel in Region 7 will graduate today from a 45-day Special Counter-insurgency Unit Training at rites to be held at the Boy Scouts of the Philippines building in Dumaguete City.

PNP SCOUT Class 17-2008 has 88 men and 33 women from police units in the region, who will be returned to their mother units after graduation, Chief Insp. Glenn Oliver Cinco, course director, said.

The SCOUT class started their training in Sibonga, Cebu and arrived in Negros Oriental on Dec. 15 for the final phase of the course.

Cinco said the trainees were basically exposed to militaristics and other areas of combat operations, despite limited resources and equipment such as binoculars, compass, rappelling ropes, carabiners and snap links that they had to borrow from the Philippine Army.

He, however, said that the regional PNP Office has asked him to submit a list of equipment needed for the next batch of SCOUT trainees.

SCOUT trainers, like Cinco, are police personnel who are members of or formerly assigned with the PNP’s Special Action Force.

Cinco said the SCOUT is now a requirement for PNP recruits in preparation for the turnover of counter-insurgency operations from the Philippine Army to the police.

Today’s rites will include a graduation run of 15 to 20 kilometers from the PNP provincial office in Agan-an, Sibulan to interior villages connecting these to Dumaguete.

In the afternoon will be the distribution of certificates of training and awards and appreciation, with PNP Assistant Regional Director for Operations, Senior Supt. Marcelo Garbo Jr., representing Region 7 Director Chief Supt. Ronald Roderos and provincial police director Senior Supt. Augusto Marquez Jr. in attendance.

The graduation ceremonies will include the ceremonial donning of beret and ceremonial toast, a ceremonial pinning of the SCOUT pin, and boodle fight.*JFP    

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