MANILA – The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has allowed the conduct of pilot training for members of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Malacañang said Friday.
In a press statement, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the PNP Air Unit could carry out the training, so long as it is held in a non-quarantine hotel.
“The IATF approved the request of the Philippine National Police, through its Air Unit, to conduct an Initial Type Rating Training for Pilots, provided that training will be done in a non-quarantine hotel,” Roque said.
Under IATF-EID Resolution 111 approved Thursday, the PNP training provider may transfer the training to a hotel that has been granted a Certificate of Authority to Operate for Staycation (CAOS) by the Department of Tourism (DOT).
“The intended training site may convert from a quarantine hotel to a staycation hotel by applying for a CAOS with DOT,” the resolution read.
In June last year, the PNP revived its basic helicopter pilot training (BHPT) after decades of inactivity to help train Special Action Force (SAF) air unit personnel selected for flying duties.
The PNP-SAF Air Unit is the SAF’s only technical unit, along with its 15 line battalions, in providing air support to all PNP units during police operations, tactical operations, disaster relief, search and rescue operations, and other field and staff flight operations.
About 14 PNP personnel signed up last year to be student pilots.
The BHPT Class 2020, composed of the 14 student pilots, will undergo a 228-hour training program divided into four modules.
The PNP in January acquired three additional multi-role helicopters to boost its operational capability against insurgency and terrorism.
Its fleet has seven units of H-125 Airbus, two R-22 Robinson police helicopters, and a fixed-wing trainer aircraft, all stationed in Metro Manila.
The PNP has sought the deployment of two helicopters each in Central Visayas and Southern Mindanao, and one in Northern Luzon. (PNA)
