Police Brigadier General Debold Sinas is confident that Central Visayas will soon be free from insurgents with synchronized operations of the police and the military. | CDN Digital File Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — After one year of serving as director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), Police Brigadier General Debold Sinas says his next goal is to help make the region free from insurgents.
He made this pronouncement on Tuesday, June 4, in a press conference that marked his first anniversary at the helm of PRO-7.
But this wish also means another responsibility for the police as the local force will be in charge in maintaining the peace and order situation of the areas monitored by the military.
Sinas hopes that the Synchronized Enhanced Managing Police Operations (Sempo) conducted by the police and the military will finally catch the members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).
The provinces of Cebu, Siquijor, and Bohol have been declared as insurgent-free by the Armed Forces of the Philippines in 2018.
This leaves Negros Oriental as the lone province in Central Visayas with known CPP-NPA presence.
“Once we are insurgent-free, the military will focus their forces in other areas and the security of the region will fall on the hands of the police. We have to be prepared for that,” said Sinas.
Sinas, a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Hinirang Class of 1987, is known for his brand of leadership that is guided by intense discipline.
He said the police in Central Visayas need to be strong to handle a region with minimal to no assistance from the military.
“We have to have tight security when the region becomes insurgent free because this means that the police will have another major task to fulfill,” said Sinas
“We need to maintain the peace and order and we need to secure the region to avoid the return of the insurgents,” he added.
Sinas is confident that continuous operations will neutralize the CPP-NPA in Negros Oriental soon.
Rewards, punishment
Sinas said he is still faced with the challenge of motivating his men to continue the fight against illegal drug operators.
Sinas said that he encouraged the personnel of PRO-7 to practice hardcore discipline as the foundation of their duty to the community.
For this reason, he mandated the strict-compliance and attendance in the flag-raising ceremony on Mondays in all stations and headquarters.
He also directed various internal cleansing through random drug tests which identified seven erring police officers in the region, all of whom have been dealt accordingly.
However, Sinas said it is important to reward good-performing men to motivate them to do more. Within one year, Sinas has handed more than 2,000 awards to his men.
Sinas said that a good mixture of discipline, punishments and rewards will keep the police force in top shape for the various challenges ahead of them. / celr