Palawan Gov’t, AFP to launch Special Citizen’s CAFGU Active Auxiliary

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Source: http://palawan-news.com/palawan-govt-afp-launch-special-citizens-cafgu-active-auxiliary/
Sunday, September 25, 2016

By Nikki Aquino-Watt

In a MOA signing between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Provincial Government of Palawan on Friday, September 23, the latter sought aid on alleged ‘vigilante’ activities in the province, especially in the southern municipalities. In response, the AFP will be putting up auxiliary units in different municipalities where the provincial government has ongoing infrastructure projects.

The auxiliary units will specifically include volunteer civilians who will be chosen from target communities and who will undergo special training led by the AFP. According to Major General Romeo Gan of the AFP, the presence of the Special Citizen’s CAFGU Active Auxiliary (SCAA) in the municipalities will help the provincial government to effectively ensure peace and order in Palawan.

“Isa itong pagkakataon upang makatulong pa lalo ang AFP sa paglilingkod sa lalawigan,” Gan said.

Governor Jose Chavez Alvarez said that tourism is the priority of the province, and being declared as the ‘world’s best island’ entails tight security measures. “Malaki ang naitutulong ng turismo sa lalawigan, kaya kailangan natin masigurado ang kaligtasan ng mga turista,” Alvarez said. The governor further said that the Dos Palmas Abu Sayyaf kidnapping in 2001 has greatly wounded the tourism industry of Palawan and that they are preventing the same situation from happening again.

The SCAA, which will follow a community-based approach, will be active in the next projects of the provincial government, such as road constructions, in isolated barangays in the South.

“Kailangan natin bantayan na hindi na maulit ang pagsunog ng mga rebelde sa mga heavy equipment ng lalawigan dahil ang mga proyekto na ‘yan ay para rin sa mga mamayan ng Palawan,” explained Gan.

The SCAA program is already active in different parts of the country and now is set to start in Palawan