BOOT CAMP. A total of 403 students from junior and senior high schools in Butuan City successfully completed the three-day junior police boot camp that ended on Friday (Oct. 25, 2019) in Taligaman National High School here. The activity is part of the effort of the Philippine National Police to end the communist insurgency in Caraga Region. (Photo courtesy of PRO-13 Information Office)
BUTUAN CITY -- The Philippine National Police in Caraga Region (PRO-13) said 403 students from junior and senior high schools successfully completed the three-day junior police boot camp that ended on Friday (October 25) in Taligaman National High School here.
In a statement released on Friday, PRO-13 said the police boot camp was designed “to instill discipline, patriotism, and awareness among the youth.”
The police boot camp was a project of the Butuan City Police Office (BCPO) that gained support from various stakeholders in the city.
“In the past months, BCPO record shows that minors and the youth are involved in crime incidents in the city. The youth are also vulnerable targets of CPP-NPA Terrorists (CNTs) exploitation activities such as recruitment,” the statement added.
CPP-NPA stands for the Communist of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army. The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
During the three-day camp, the high school students were oriented about vital information on the importance of police-community partnership, values formation and spiritual enrichment was also discussed during the activity.
PRO-13 said the students were also taught on first aid, basic fire incident handling, laws for the protection of children, anti-bullying, and defense tactics, the statement added.
Brig. Gen. Joselito T. Esquivel Jr., PRO-13 director, graced the closing ceremony on Friday, together with Col. Albert G. Magno, the BCPO director; Col. Maurito Licudine, commander of the Army's 401st Brigade; Butuan City Councilor Omar Andaya; and Junior Police coordinator Emilio Makiling.
In his message, Esquivel reminded the students that “education is an essential part of human life,” and encouraged them to study harder even in the face of hardship.
“Be a responsible citizen whose love for our country is burning deep within,” the PRO-13 police director added.
PRO-13 added that the activity was also part of its campaign to end insurgency in the region, as mandated by Executive Order 70 issued by President Rodrigo Duterte.
EO 70 created the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and institutionalizes the "whole-of-nation" approach in ending the communist rebellion in the country. (PNA)
