MANILA, Philippines?President Benigno Aquino has ordered the creation of an ?elite strike force? that could be deployed nationwide to address crisis situations such as the hostage-taking incident that resulted in the deaths of eight Hong Kong tourists on Monday.
Secretary Herminio Coloma of the Presidential Communications and Operations Office said Mr. Aquino wants 200 soldiers each from the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to compose the small but specialized unit.
Coloma said it was one of the measures the President adopted after he himself saw how Manila police bungled the rescue of Hong Kong tourists held hostage by disgruntled former policeman Senior Insp. Rolando Mendoza.
?That is the immediate action that would be implemented on orders of the President,? Coloma said in an interview over radio station dzRH.
?This is a strong force, highly trained, with modern equipment and could be deployed in any area in the archipelago,? the communications secretary said.
Met with Verzosa, David
Mr. Aquino himself said that he had already spoken with the chiefs of the military and the police to form the elite unit.
He also indicated in an earlier news conference that it would be better to concentrate resources on a few highly trained soldiers than have the necessary logistics spread over too many Special Weapons and Tactics teams or SWAT units.
?So, I already discussed this with Director General [Jesus] Verzosa, and also the Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Ricardo David, that both of their units will be organized and will operate on a national basis but perhaps on a smaller scale so we can properly maintain them,? President Aquino said.
Chiefs open to joint unit
Meanwhile, David and Verzosa said they were open to forming a joint commando unit to handle counterterrorism and crisis situations like Monday?s bloody hostage-taking at Rizal Park.
Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta Jr., head of the Armed Forces? Civil Relations Service, confirmed the meeting between David and Verzosa on Thursday ?for the possibility of tying up a joint forces combining elite forces from the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.?
?Both chiefs are open to the idea. It is important that we talk and come up with a consensus,? Mabanta said.
Mr. Aquino is scheduled to meet with David and Verzosa in Malacañang today where a final decision is expected on the joint military-police commando unit.
The military and the police each have existing elite forces dealing with crisis situations and these units coordinate as needed when the situation calls for it, Mabanta said.
But forming a joint military-police task force was another matter, he added.
What is important, he said, was to ?look at the possibility of interoperability between the two forces? including the compatibility of their respective communications equipment.
Details to be discussed
The PNP has its Special Action Force (SAF) while the AFP has its Joint Special Operation Group (JSOG) which has components from the Philippine Army, Navy and Air Force.
The Philippine Army has its Light Reaction Company (LRC), the Philippine Navy has its Navy Special Operations Group (formerly the Special Warfare Group or SWAG) and the Philippine Air Force has its Special operations Wing (SPOW).
Mabanta said since details were still being threshed out, he did not know whether or not the joint commando unit would be a permanent one and whether this would operate under a single commander.
He said a joint military-police elite force has been in the pipeline in the face of possible terrorist activities.
The deployment of the joint elite force, however, would still be decided by the crisis management committee chair, who could be the city or municipal mayor, the provincial governor or the interior secretary.
