RP to export first police unit soon for peacekeeping mission - Davide

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines, being one of the top 30 troop-sending countries in the United Nations (UN) missions to conflict-ridden countries, would soon send its first formed police unit overseas, the Philippine Mission to the UN said on Tuesday.

Ambassador Hilario Davide Jr, Philippine permanent representative to the UN, assured that the country will remain committed in maintaining peace in conflict areas around the world.

"In the coming months, the Philippines will be sending more officers to other UN mission areas where their experience and expertise are needed. Hopefully, in the near future, we would also finally be able to send our first formed police unit overseas," he said before the 2008 Session of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.

To date, the Philippines has more than 660 military and police peacekeepers serving in UN missions in Afghanistan, Cote d' Ivoire, Darfur, Georgia, Haiti, Kosovo, Liberia, Nepal, Sudan, and Timor Leste.

"As it has done when it first deployed an Air Force squadron to support UN operations in the Congo more than 40 years ago, the Philippines is ready to heed the call of the UN and will send its men and women to where they are needed, when they are needed," Davide added.

Davide reported to the peacekeeping committee that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has ordered the deployment of 48 police officers in Darfur.

He also promised to study the possibility of increasing the number of women serving in the field in response to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s call to make women more visible in the missions.

Davide is hoping that the Philippines can match the number of women personnel deployed with the actual percentage of women in the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.

The former Supreme Court chief justice also emphasized that the Philippines has put in place a zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and other misconduct that may be committed by Filipino peacekeepers abroad.

"The Philippines can be expected to continue taking steps to reinforce this policy including the conduct of a more rigid pre-screening and pre-deployment process for Filipino peacekeepers while here at the United Nations," Davide said.

He also assured that Filipino UN peacekeepers will be “sensitive to the cultural and religious circumstances of their areas of assignment." - Mark J. Ubalde, GMANews.TV

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