PNP to deploy 700 drones to regional police units

The Philippine National Police (PNP) will deploy 700 drones worth P56 million to various regional police units across the country, in a bid to boost police operations.

Worth P80,000 each, the drones will be deployed to the different police mobile groups in the country, PNP Chief Director General Oscar Albayalde said on Thursday.

“Meron tayong parating na 700 units of drones, at i-i-issue natin yan sa iba’t ibang mobile groups natin at magiging standard procedure na sa kanila whenever they conduct operations,” he said in an ambush interview.

(We have 700 drones coming and we will be issuing these to our mobile groups to be used in their standard procedure whenever they conduct operations.)

Meanwhile, Albayalde said security orders were not followed during the ambush in Aurora province on Tuesday that ended with a police officer being killed and another wounded.

READ: Cop killed, another hurt in Aurora ambush

PO2 Martial Ronald Buendicho Ruidera was killed and SPO2 Angelo Nobleza Gawat was injured after they were ambushed by suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA) on Tuesday while responding to a supposed arson incident.

Albayalde said the regional director had advised police units to first deploy a drone and check the area before responding to any incident.

“We do not know bakit hindi nila sinunod ‘yon. Kaya along the way doon sila na-ambush (We do not know why they did not follow that. That’s why they were ambushed along the way),” he said in an ambush interview.

Albayalde said the responding police unit might have been overconfident in responding immediately to the site as members of the Philippine Army have already went ahead of them.

Albayalde added that they are also looking at a possible failure in intelligence behind the incident. /muf