The Silay police is expected to get 20 more policemen and motorcycles as the new airport in Brgy. Bagtic, Silay City , begins its operation today.

Senior Supt. Rosendo Franco, provincial police director, yesterday said the additional manpower for the Silay police force will be downloaded from the Police Regional Office 6, while the additional motorcycles for city policemen was promised by Mayor Jose Montelibano.

The airport in Silay is also being secured outside its perimeter by a company-sized unit of the 6 th Regional Mobile Group, that has its headquarters almost two kilometers from the site.

Police records showed that the airport was raided and bombed by suspected New People's Army rebels in October 2006, with damage placed at P50 million by authorities.

Franco said he has ordered Supt. Roderick Alba to frequently patrol the road leading to the airport, which is about 5 kilometers away from the Silay City proper.

An increase to two teams is also planned for the Special Weapons and Tactics of the Silay police after Montelibano promised last year to purchase more high-powered firearms for them.

Security has been further tightened at the vicinity and outside perimeters of the Silay airport, to secure the site and visitors who will attend its inauguration today, with participation of the Philippine Army.

The Philippine Air Force, assisted by the provincial government of Negros Occidental, is now looking for a site at Silay airport, to be used as headquarters of the Composite Air Support Force 6 and housing facilities for its helicopter gunships.

Franco said they have initially received 21 new policemen from PRO6 headquarters, and are expected to receive more in the next several weeks, to be distributed to undermanned police stations in Negros Occidental.

He has also started to re-assign Police Officers 1 and police inspectors assigned at Camp Alfredo Montelibano Sr. in Bacolod City, to different police stations, among them Inspector Cesarlin Delubio who is now acting deputy police chief of Talisay.*GPB

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