BONGAO, Tawi-Tawi — A total of 27 policemen of Tawi-Tawi Police Provincial Office are now ready for deployment as tourism police in the province after successfully completing a 4-day training on Tourism Oriented Police for Community Order and Protection (TOP-COP) Program on November 16-19.
Lawyer Sukarno Abbas, deputy minister of the Ministry of Trade, Investments, and Tourism (MTIT) of BARMM on Tuesday said that in partnership with the Provincial Government of Tawi-Tawi, they organized said training at the Beachside Inn and Restaurant in Bongao Municipality.
According to Deputy Minister Abbas, the policemen were engaged in tourism related seminars such as tourism awareness, values formation and effective customer service, cultural sensitivity, language courses, risk reduction and crises management, and security training which taught the police proper ways to handle tourists.
“TOP-COP program is a national program of the Philippine National Police (PNP), in partnership with the Department of Tourism (DOT), aimed at strengthening the relationship of both agencies in providing a safe and secure environment for tourists and ensuring the availability of tourist police in tourist destinations nationwide including BARMM,” Abbas said.
Abbas also expressed his hopes of reviving the tourism industry, and generating tourism investments in BARMM to propel the creation of jobs and income for the Bangsamoro.
After successfully completing the 4-day training, the policemen received their certificates, uniforms, and pins symbolizing special identification as TOP-COP tourist police. Their uniforms, according to MTIT Provincial Director Termizie Masahud, were provided by Tawi-Tawi provincial government.
Meanwhile, Deputy Director Police Brigadier General Franco Simborio of Directorate for Operations of the PNP served as guest of honor and speaker during the opening program of the activity.
JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL
PHILIPPINE MUSLIM TODAY 