25 cops to augment San Miguel PNP for ASF control duties

By Jennifer P. Rendon

The Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) will deploy 25 uniformed personnel to San Miguel Municipal Police Station following the town’s declaration of state of calamity due to African Swine Fever (ASF).

Colonel Noel Aliño, Iloilo police chief, said the 25 personnel will help the San Miguel PNP in conducting ASF border control checkpoints.

They form part of IPPO’s Reactionary Standby Support Force.

“These are personnel from the IPPO headquarters who mostly do administrative works,” he said.

Aliño explained that they could not pull out personnel from nearby police stations and mobile force companies to complement the Provincial RSSF.

It can be noted that IPPO had earlier augmented Oton Municipal Police Station with 50 personnel, who mostly came from nearby police stations and mobile force companies.

“We also couldn’t get from police stations in the fourth and fifth district kasi masyadong malayo na and we’re also considering their billeting and meal requirements,” he said.

With IPPO administrative staff as RSSF personnel, “ang affected lang is paper works sa headquarters. Baka may delay lang,” Aliño said.

Hopefully, the province’s top cop said that ASF would be contained to the towns of Oton and San Miguel only.

If another town requests for police augmentation, Aliño said he already asked the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) for additional personnel.

“Sa ngayon kaya pa naman namin and we’re hoping na hindi na umabot sa ganun,” he said.

Aside from manning ASF border checkpoints within and near the vicinity of San Miguel, the augmentation force would also be responsible for traffic control.