PRO – COR chief assures more equipment for cops

SPECIAL forces of the Police Regional Office –

Cordillera (PRO - COR) will continue to receive appropriate equipment as support to their operational readiness.

Brigadier General R’win Pagkalinawan assured on Thursday more equipment will be given to police during the opening of the Regional Special Weapons and Tactics ( RSWAT) challenge 2020 competition held at Philex Mines in Tuba, Benguet.

Teams composed of different SWAT from the provinces of Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain Province and the cities of Baguio and Tabuk, including members of the Regional Special Action Force are seeing action in the competition.

Pagkalinawan said since he took over as the regional top cop, the acquisition of special equipment for special forces of PRO – COR was one of his primary goal to make sure all police personnel are at the advantage when it comes to special operations.

“It is now a priority for PRO – COR to be able to counter our enemies which are why I intend to suit up our men just to make sure that just from their tactical gear alone, our enemies will be forced to surrender. This should be the standard of a Cordillera warrior and we will continue to provide them with the necessary equipment,” Pagkalinawan said.

A specialized course for SWAT and other related forces of PRO - COR was constructed within the Philex Mining Company’s compound.

“What we want is for the availability of an all year round training course for our city and provincial SWAT and Internal Security Operations tactical teams. This course is designed to make our specialized forces personnel think that their basic equipment are not enough to which they should always make sure that they have all the necessary equipment depending on the prevailing condition during a particular operation for them to be ready at any given time,” Pagkalinawan stated.

Among equipment acquired by PRO - COR are red dot tactical scopes, medium and long range sniper scopes, thermal scopes, night vision goggles, light emitting diode flashlights, and binoculars.

“Gone are the days that we have to use our iron sights which is why the objective of having red dots is for faster target acquisition. We recommend that all police men should now upgrade their pistols with optics and this is what this specialized tactical course is all about,” Pagkalinawan added.

The Regional SWAT 2020 challenge was graced by Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, Philex Mines Security Chief and retired Brigadier General Alex Pomecha and other PRO – COR officials.