By Sam Ramos
The Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) deployed 171 personnel to ensure peace and security in the Special Geographic Area (SGA) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Police Brigadier General Romeo Macapaz, director of PRO-BAR, led the send-off ceremony on Saturday, November 30, at Camp General Salipada Pendatun in Parang, Maguindanao del Norte. The deployment is part of the Special Security Task Group’s efforts to provide law enforcement presence and secure the welfare of residents in the SGA.
The SGA comprises 63 villages from six towns in North Cotabato that voted to join BARMM in a 2019 plebiscite. These villages have since been grouped into eight municipalities: Pahamuddin, Kadayangan, Nabalawag, Old Kabakan, Kapalawan, Tuugunan, Ligawasan, and Malidagao.
Macapaz emphasized that the newly deployed officers will play a key role in maintaining security, particularly in preparation for the 2025 mid-term elections and the first BARMM parliamentary elections in these municipalities. He called on the personnel to carry out their duties with professionalism, honor, and integrity.
The send-off ceremony was attended by officials including Lawyer Marvin Mokamad, Interior Affairs Service director and representative of the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government-BARMM, as well as the mayors of the eight municipalities. Members of the PRO-BAR Command Group and Regional Staff also participated in the event.
In addition to the deployment, Macapaz installed Police Colonel Salman Sapal as the new chief of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 14-A (RMFB 14-A). Sapal succeeds Police Lieutenant Colonel Argel Ancheta, who served as the officer-in-charge. Macapaz expressed gratitude to Ancheta for his contributions to RMFB 14-A and urged Sapal to continue fostering peace and security in the region.
The deployment underscores PRO-BAR’s commitment to securing the region and ensuring the safety of its residents during a critical period of political and social development in BARMM.