The newly formed auxiliary group in Bayawan, Negros Oriental, will not be used as a private armed group, Mayor German Saraña said, to allay fears aired by some sectors in the city.

Saraña also assured to police provincial director, S/Supt. Melvin Ramon Buenafe, that the 88 members of the auxiliary police who graduated Saturday, will help fight insurgency.

Buenafe said safety nets are in place to avoid the mistakes of the past, when some members of the Civilian Home Defense Force were allegedly used for some other purposes.

Each auxiliary unit will be provided with handlers to make sure they work within the bounds of their duties and responsibilities, Buenafe said.

The Bayawan auxiliary force will be recommended for deputization by the police, and has an allocation of P7 million for its operation, equipment, allowance, vehicle, including the training.

The group underwent a month-long comprehensive training on specific subjects, firearms proficiency, traffic control, how to gather information, and police patrols, among others.

Buenafe said they will be issued guns on a case-to-case basis, and will help in the anti-criminality and anti-insurgency campaign of the city.

The police in Negros Oriental is seriously treating the insurgency problem in the province with concern, he added.

Buenafe said that while the army is doing its best, he is complaining to higher headquarters about the imbalance in the deployment of troops compared to other provinces.

He said Negros Oriental has more guerilla fronts operating in its area, but has less troops in the field.

Buenafe said he hopes the armed forces will make good its commitment to deploy additional troops in the province especially in the southeastern portion, where there is perceived guerilla activity due to the presence of three of its fronts.

He said several municipalities in the north are still under threat of rebel infestation, like Guihulngan, La Libertad, Canlaon City, Vallehermoso.*JG

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