Officials of the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, represented by the Philippine Army, have signed a memorandum of agreement involving the security of 47 vital installations in Negros Oriental.
The agreement is part of the recent declaration of Negros Oriental as conflict manageable and development ready, after both the AFP and the PNP had announced the reduction of the insurgency problem in the province.
Col. Allan Martin, commander of the 302nd Brigade based in Tanjay City, and Senior Supt. Mariano Natuel Jr., NOPPO OIC director, signed the MOA at the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office.
Under this, some installations previously under the military have been transferred to the police.
Of the 47 vital installations under threat levels “high”, “moderate”, and “low”, 45 will now be the responsibility and supervision of the PNP, and two others, the Energy Development Corporation’s Southern Negros Geothermal Project, and the Green Core Geothermal Inc., in Valencia, Negros Oriental, of the Army.
The 45 vital installations across the province include the airport in Dumaguete City, sea ports, wharves, bus terminals, electric cooperatives, telecommunications facilities, and water reservoirs.
Probable course of action by the “enemy” include bombing, sabotage, extortion and arson.
Martin said the agreement will identify who shall be in charge of certain vital installations in Negros Oriental, but it does not mean that the Army will no longer be involved in their security.
The signing complies with a directive for the Negros Oriental Joint Implementing Plan Seguridad de Instolacion, that has cited references like the AFP-PNP Joint Letter Directive 02-2013 on the “Guidelines in Providing Security to All Vital Government and Private Projects, Undertakings, Facilities and Equipment within Urban and Rural Areas”, and similar directives from both agencies.
The MOA between the PNP, the AFP and the Joint Task Force-Negros Oriental stipulates that, aside from the parties overseeing the security of vital public and/or private installations, projects and equipment, they must enhance intelligence capability and sharing, to effectively monitor potential threats, and conduct sustained security patrols and checkpoints, and joint trainings and regular security meetings, among others. (JFP)
