MANILA, Philippines — The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has set cultural sensitivity seminars for more than 28,000 personnel before the holy month of Ramadan begins on April 23 to help them “further understand Muslim beliefs, culture and traditions.”
NCRPO chief Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas said the three-day seminars to be coordinated with the Institute of Islamic Students at the University of the Philippines Diliman will begin on Feb. 27 and will cover the command’s five districts in Metro Manila.
The initiative was an apparent response to the outrage over the NCRPO’s memorandum issued in January that authorized the collection of information on Muslim students in Metro Manila.
Concerns about the possible profiling of Muslim students were raised, with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao parliament warning that the directive might perpetuate “dangerous stereotypes that put the Muslim community at risk.”
/atm