U.S. Embassy Acting Senior Regional Security Officer Daniel Art (seated, center) and Zamboanga del Sur Gov. Divina Grace Yu (seated, second from left) sign a Memorandum of Agreement to establish a primary hub for collaborative law enforcement training programs.
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The U.S. Embassy in the Philippines and the Zamboanga del Sur provincial government have signed an agreement establishing a ₱30.8-million ($500,000) law enforcement training program aimed at strengthening the Philippine National Police's counterterrorism capabilities.
The agreement will establish permanent training facilities in Pagadian City under the U.S. Department of State's Antiterrorism Assistance (ATA) Program, which will host recurring specialized training courses for PNP personnel.
"This investment in Pagadian reflects our confidence in the PNP and our conviction that a safer, more capable PNP means a safer Philippines, a safer United States, and a stronger alliance between our two nations," said Daniel Art, acting senior regional security officer of the U.S. Embassy.
Since 2006, the ATA program has trained more than 10,000 Filipino law enforcement personnel to improve their ability to investigate, respond to, and mitigate terrorist threats. The new facilities are expected to train around 2,000 PNP officers and other law enforcement personnel each year.
Zamboanga del Sur Gov. Divina Grace Yu said the partnership will strengthen the capabilities of law enforcement agencies in preventing terrorism and improving security in the province, Mindanao, and the rest of the country.
The agreement also coincides with the 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and the United States, reinforcing security cooperation between the two allies.
