300 SAF troops to be deployed to the region
By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Following the recent spate of violence in Negros Oriental that has already claimed the lives of 20 people, including four police officers and three politicians, Philippine National Police (PNP) Director-General Oscar Albayalde yesterday gave his assurance that President Rodrigo Duterte will not declare Martial Law in Negros.
According to Albayalde, even though some of the killings were perpetrated by New People’s Army (NPA) insurgents, they are still conducting a thorough investigation in order to determine which specific group was responsible for the murders.
The PNP chief added, the NPA has long been known to “sacrifice” their own members and then blame law enforcement for the killings.
In response to the growing violence, Albayalde said they decided to deploy more than 300 members of the PNP Special Action Force (SAF) to further augment the local police force.
When asked if there will be a change to current leadership of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office, Albayalde said they are presently awaiting recommendations from Police Regional Office-7 director, Police Brigadier General Debold Sinas./DGB, WDJ