UP TO 39 police officers from the Visayas regions have graduated from the six-month Explosive Ordnance Disposal/K9 Handlers course of the Philippine National Police on Friday, December 15.
The graduation ceremony was held at the Hinirang Hall in PC Hills, Barangay Lahug, Cebu City.
Police Colonel Jonathan Abella attended the ceremony on behalf of Police Brigadier General Albert Magno, the director of the EOD/K9 Group in Camp Crame.
Abella said that 15 of the graduates came from Central Visayas, five from Region 6 and five from Region 8.
The police were taught how to detect the bomb and to train the dogs to smell it.
According to Abella, the Philippine National Police (PNP) needs a large number of individuals with bomb detection training because not many have taken the course.
The EOD/K9 Unit in Central Visayas has four sniffing dogs and these will be deployed in major events like Sinulog.
According to Police key Lenard Carandang, the former assistant chief of the EOD Canine Unit, that in big cities like Cebu City, it is appropriate to assign 10 K9 dogs in ports and in key events like the Sinulog festival.
The EOD/K9 Unit 7 welcomes anybody who would like to donate Belgian Malinois or any other type of high breed dog.
High breed dogs, according to Carandang, are simpler to train than the Aspin or "Asong Pinoy."
“Kulang na kulang po ang aso natin kasi sobrang daming events po natin dito lalo na sa darating na Sinulog,” Carandang said.
(Our dogs are not enough because we have too many activities here, especially with the upcoming Sinulog). (AYB, TPT)