701st Provincial Mobile Force Company to replace 704th in Mabinay town

(L to R) Police Colonel Rizalito Gapas, acting director of the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office,  shares a light moment with DILG-7 Director Elcadio Trovela during the launch of the Dagyawan sa Barangay (ELCAC) held this morning, October 9, in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental. | Florence Baesa

DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental – The 704th Provincial Mobile Force Company (704th PMFC) based in Mabinay, Negros Oriental will already be pulled out from the province effective on Thursday, October 10, 2019.

But they will be replaced by the 701st Provincial Mobile Force Company that is also under the Regional Mobile Force Battalion ( RMFB-7) based in Sibonga town in southern Cebu.

Police Colonel Rizalito Gapas, acting director of the Negros Oriental Provincial Police office (NOPPO), announced the 704th PMFC’s pullout in an interview today, October 9.

Gapas said that the 704th PMFC will already return to its mother unit at the  RMFB-7 in Sibonga, Cebu  to undergo a one month Capacity Enhancement Program  training that will be conducted at their headquarters.

The training  according to Gapas is aimed to capacitate the policemen on effective basic services delivery in support of the End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) program of the national government.

ELCAC is a whole- nation approach in solving the insurgency problem by bringing the basic services of government closer to the people.

“Nirarapat ng ating pamunuan na hindi pangcombat lang ang dapat malalaman ng ating tropa kundi pati  na rin yung pagrender ng basic services delivery sa community kung saan sila nadedeploy,” Gapas said in an interview this morning after the launch of the “Dagyawan sa Barangay: Talakayan sa Barangay Caravan on Basic Services held in Barangay Bayog, Canlaon City, Negros Oriental.

(We made sure that our troops are properly trained not only for combat but also in the delivery of basic services to the community in the areas where they will be assigned.)

Gapas said that the training is part of the capacity-building program of Police Brigadier General Debold Sinas, director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7).

“We are hoping that through the training, mababago ang tingin ng ating mga kababayan sa ating pulisya,” Gapas added.

(We are hoping that through the training, we will be able to improve how people look at our policemen.)

Asked if 704th PMFC will again be deployed in Mabinay after the training Gapas said, “that will depend siyempre kung ano yung pangangailangan (that will depend on the need in the area.)

“Pero ang mobile force naman natin ay very fluid ang kanilang assignments. Kung saan sila kailangan doon sila pupunta,” he added.

(Mobile force members are always ready for deployment to any kind of assignments. They go where they are needed.) / dcb