BATANGAS CITY—Philippine National Police chief, Director General Nicanor Bartolome, personally witnessed the culmination ceremonies of the 2nd Crisis Action Force (CAF) evaluation exercise here at Batangas City Friday.
The four-day exercise, which started on Tuesday, is designed purposely to test the capability of PNP crisis responders in handling police emergency situations, such as terrorist-related incidents, hostage-taking, natural disaster and other man-made emergencies, Bartolome said.
“The Philippine National Police has established the interoperability of crisis responders in handling man-made and natural emergencies,” Bartolome said after CAF officers performed before him the skills they have developed since they started training last year in handling hostage-taking scenarios in sea craft, air craft, tourist bus, and in an enclosed establishment.
This elite unit is a hybrid of PNP’s Special Action Force, Maritime Group, and Aviation Security Group. They are being trained not only for ground assaults, but in water and air as well.
Bartolome said the capability of 162-strong CAF unit has significantly improved with local and foreign-assisted capacity-building programs, as well as the PNP-initiated capability enhancement program of acquiring better and more police equipment required by crisis responders.
PNP spokesman, Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr. said they are now looking into requesting for a higher budget to provide the unit with more equipment that are necessary for them to be able to do their jobs better.
“Nakita natin ang mga individual communication equipment nila medyo kulang pa, as well as iba pang kagamitan tulad ng breaching equipment para mas madali makapasok sa bus, or sa building at maging sa mga barko (We saw their individual communication tools are not yet complete, as well as with other things like breaching equipment for them to easily break in inside a bus, a building or even a ship),” he said.
The 1st CAF Evaluation Exercise was held in an urban setting in August last year. The PNP has plans to make CAF Evaluation Exercises an annual event.
In earlier interviews, Bartolome said that while the CAF unit hasn’t been deployed in a real mission ever since, he said the unit is ready to be deployed anytime and anywhere in the country.