By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Director General Ronald Dela Rosa, was in Bago City yesterday morning to attend the recognition rites for Class Dakila of the Public Safety Basic Recruit (PSBR).
Addressing hundreds of new recruits for the course, he asked if they were prepared to be deployed to Marawi City, which was met with many raised hands and much eagerness.
Dela Rosa said, if dispatched to the conflict-stricken area, rookie police officers are not just serving the Negros Island Region (NIR) or the Western Visayas, but the entire country.
Of the 821 recruits, 520 will be assigned under Police Regional Office-6 (PRO-6), while 301 are assigned under PRO-18.
Despite the declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao, the crisis in Marawi City has entered its fifth week as government forces battle the Islamic State-backed Maute terror group after they tried to take over the city.
Some 66 soldiers and police officers have perished while 268 militants have been killed./WDJ