THE Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) has deployed 171 personnel to maintain peace and security in the Special Geographic Area (SGA) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Police Brigadier General Romeo Macapaz, PRO-BAR director, led the send-off ceremony of policemen for the Special Security Task Group (SSTG) on Saturday, November 30, 2024, at Camp General Salipada Pendatun in Parang, Maguindanao del Norte.
“This send-off ceremony is a proof of our firm commitment to providing an immediate law enforcement presence, ensuring that the eight municipalities in the SGA-BARMM have access to policing services, and securing the general welfare of the public,” Macapaz said in a statement.
The eight municipalities that comprises the SGA of BARMM, namely Pahamuddin, Kadayangan, Nabalawag, Old Kabakan, Kapalawan, Tuugunan, Ligawasan, and Malidagao.
The SGA comprises of 63 villages from six towns of North Cotabato who opted to be part of BARMM in a plebiscite in 2019. The 63 villages were group into eight towns.
Macapaz said the newly deployed policemen will also secure the 2025 upcoming mid-term and the first BARMM parliamentary elections in the SGA municipalities.
He expects the 171 policemen to perform their task with the highest degree of professionalism, dedication, honor, integrity and courage.
The send-off ceremony was graced Lawyer Marvin Mokamad, Interior Affairs Service director and representative of the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government-BARMM, alongside with the mayors of eight municipalities.
Also in attendance were the members of the Command Group and Regional Staff, whose presence contributed to the success and significance of the event.
Meanwhile, Macapaz has installed on Saturday, November 30, Police Colonel Salman Sapal as the new chief of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 14-A (RMFB 14-A).
Sapal has replaced Police Lieutenant Colonel Argel Ancheta, who served as the officer-in-charge of RMFB 14-A.
Prior to his new designation, Sapal has served as the Maguindanao del Norte police director.
Macapaz expressed his gratitude to Ancheta for his unwavering dedication and contributions to the RMFB 14-A, which greatly strengthened its operations and fostered professionalism among its personnel.
He also congratulated Sapal on his new role, underscoring the importance of leading RMFB 14-A in fostering peace, security, and progress in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. (SunStar Zamboanga)