Building Operational Excellence: Evaluating Training System and Skills Development Program for Rmfb7

This study systematically evaluated the current training system and skills development program of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 7 (RMFB7) at its Headquarters in Sibonga, Cebu. Grounded in the Kirkpatrick Model of Training Evaluation, Human Capital Theory, Knowles’ Andragogy, and Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory, the study utilized a descriptive-evaluative research design. Through purposive sampling, data were gathered from a total of eighty (80) respondents, structurally distributed between seventy (70) frontline Tactical Personnel (Non-Commissioned Officers) and ten (10) Battalion Training and Operations Officers (S7 and S3 command sections).The profiling phase demonstrated that the tactical frontline of RMFB7 is predominantly young and lower-ranking, with 60.0% of the NCOs falling within the 21–30 age bracket and 50.0% holding the rank of Patrolman/Patrolwoman. Unit tenure was concentrated at 1–5 years (54.3%). While baseline training was universal via the Basic Internal Security Operations Course (BISOC, 100.0%), advanced specialized certifications were remarkably low, with only 25.7% completing Special Counter-Insurgency Unit Training (SCOUT) and 20.0% certified in advanced Marksmanship. For the command group, 70.0% held post-graduate master's units, but 50.0% possessed less than two years of direct experience in training management due to rapid personnel rotations. The evaluative phase revealed severe internal imbalances across the four primary dimensions of the training program. Curriculum Content achieved the highest score with a category weighted mean of 3.42 (Very Effective), proving a strong strategic alignment with localized asymmetrical threats in Region 7 (3.55) and terrain applicability (3.48). Instructional Delivery was rated as 3.15 (Effective), highlighting high trainer competence (3.35), though undermined by compressed course timeframes (2.95). Conversely, Assessment and Evaluation was scored as 2.45 (Ineffective) due to a complete deficiency in measuring longitudinal post-training skill decay once operators are deployed to remote detachments (1.98). Crucially, Training Facilities was rated as 2.18 (Inadequate), exposing severe material shortages at the Sibonga base regarding the availability of individual specialized combat gear (2.05) and live ammunition supplies (1.92). Inferential analysis via an independent samples t-test established a statistically significant divergence in perceptions between the two groups (t = -3.45, p = 0.002). Command officers perceived the training system as notably higher (3.12) based on administrative completion rates, whereas frontline NCOs scored it significantly lower (2.68) based on immediate field friction and resource shortfalls. Thematic analysis identified that a severe shortage of specialized equipment (85.0%) and rapid turnover coupled with operational skill decay (77.5%) were the dominant field-level challenges. Consequently, the study concludes that a pronounced administrative-tactical disconnect exists within the battalion's hierarchy, where conceptual design successes are crippled by material shortfalls and a lack of continuous validation protocols. To mitigate these gaps, the study recommended and developed the RMFB7 Operational Excellence Action Plan (OEAP).