Cops, soldiers told: Hone your shooting skills

ROBINSON NIÑAL JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

DAVAO CITY—President Duterte wants soldiers and policemen to regularly hone their shooting skills so they can tackle criminality, illegal drugs and terrorism more effectively.

Mr. Duterte said he had no problem with the Special Weapons and Tactics units because they were always “ready to take on critical, hazardous and complex crisis situations.”

He would not mind spending more to help law enforcers and soldiers perfect their shooting skills.

“You know when I was mayor—Bato (police Director General Ronald dela Rosa) was there, ask him—I used to spend one million a year for ammunition alone,” the President said in a speech on Thursday during the opening of a shooting competition between specialized police and military units here.

He said he also made sure that policemen in the city would not miss targets by having them undergo training on shooting skills.

Seldom missed

“That was [held] every year, proficiency [training]. I wanted them to easily hit [targets]. We used to have it on a regular basis. I was never deficient in providing them support,” he added.

Mr. Duterte, a gun enthusiast who regularly goes to shooting ranges with close associates, recalled that he seldom missed a target during his younger days.

“I’m also a shooter but my [eyesight] is wavering now because I’m already 72 years old. But I don’t wear glasses. I could not hit targets now as efficiently as before, during my younger days,” he said.

He boasted that even at his age, he could still hit targets.

“I missed one balloon,” he said, referring to the activity before his speech when he fired a sniper rifle at several balloons. “Before, that would be chicken [feed].”

On a serious note, Mr. Duterte urged soldiers and policemen to “remain steadfast in our commitment to protect our people, especially that we are intensifying our effort against enemies of the state here in Mindanao.” —ALLAN NAWAL