The 6th Regional Mobile Group will get 380 new policemen to beef up its forces as well as city and town police stations in Negros Occidental, during the May 14 elections.

Senior Supt. Pedro Merced, 6th RMG director, yesterday said 250 of the 380 new policemen are expected to finish their on-the-job-training in various police stations, this month.

Merced said 130 others, excluding the newly-commissioned police officers, are expected to start their Internal Security Operations training tomorrow, under the supervision of the elite Special Action Force of the Philippine National Police.

By April, he said, the 380 new policemen will be assigned to the 6th RMG, and this may also lead to the downloading of RMG troopers to the provincial and city police offices, for various police stations.

Eighty-eight new policemen who have completed their on-the-job and ISO trainings have already been released by 6th RMG to the Bacolod City Police Office, Iloilo City Police Office and the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, police records show.

Merced also said the RMG will take over the role of the Philippine Army in the performance of election duties, by augmenting forces of the local police stations.

The PNP is now upgrading the equipment and training of RMG troopers who are being prepared to be actively involved in the counter-insurgency campaign of the government.

Brig. Gen. Gregorio Fajardo, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, said the Philippine Army will no longer perform election duties, except for the conduct of patrols in areas where insurgents are operating.

The limitations in the role of the military in the election are contained in the memorandum of agreement signed by the Comelec and the Department of National Defense.*GPB

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