Maasin police station replacement revived after 2017 rebel raid

ILOILO CITY – In 2017, the Philippine National Police (PNP) leadership announced plans to construct a new building for the Maasin Municipal Police Station following a raid by communist rebels.

More than nine years later, the plan remains unrealized, with Maasin police personnel still occupying the same cramped facility in the middle of the town proper.

But the long-delayed project could finally become a reality after Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) Director Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño and Maasin Mayor Francis Amboy pledged to work together to construct a standard police station building.

Tuaño said he would request funding from PNP national headquarters for the construction of the new facility once the land donation process is completed.

He personally visited the Maasin police station on Thursday, Nov. 5, and saw firsthand that the facility was not conducive to police operations.

“It’s a security nightmare. How could they effectively protect the public if their police station also needs protection from elements who might sow harm?” Tuaño quipped.

The region’s top police official said the plan had long been in the pipeline and was awaiting the completion of the necessary documentation.

Tuaño also said they might undertake minor renovations to improve the appearance of the existing police station while awaiting approval for the construction of a new building.

“So far, I’m just thankful na wala namang reklamo, as far as service is concerned,” he said.

Meanwhile, Amboy said the municipal government was finalizing documents for the donation of a government-owned lot in Barangay Bagacay West, less than a kilometer from the town proper.

The proposed site measures approximately 2,000 square meters, more than enough to accommodate a standard PNP municipal police station building.

The PNP and the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) prescribe standard architectural designs, land requirements and structural specifications for police stations nationwide.

Under established PNP standards, a city police station requires a minimum lot area of 1,000 square meters.

A Type A municipal police station is designed as a multistory reinforced concrete structure with a covered roof deck and requires a minimum lot area of 600 square meters, while Type B and C municipal police stations require at least 400 square meters.

The proposed 2,000-square-meter site in Barangay Bagacay West exceeds these minimum land requirements.

Before construction funding can be approved, the PNP requires appropriate documentation for donated land, including an approved local government authorization, a deed of donation, proof of ownership, land titles and other documents necessary for the acceptance and evaluation of the property.

The completion of these requirements would allow the proposed project to proceed to the next stages of evaluation, funding approval and construction planning.

The promise after the 2017 raid

The proposal to construct a new Maasin Municipal Police Station emerged shortly after New People’s Army (NPA) rebels overran the police facility on June 18, 2017.

The attack occurred on a Sunday morning, when heavily armed rebels stormed the town proper and seized firearms, ammunition, communications equipment and other police property.

The plan gained momentum after then-PNP chief and now Sen. Ronald dela Rosa personally visited Maasin on June 23, 2017, five days after the attack.

Dela Rosa told then-Mayor Mariano Malones that the PNP was willing to fund the construction of a standard municipal police station, provided the local government could supply a suitable lot.

The local counterpart required a property measuring at least 400 square meters to accommodate the proposed building.

The property also needed to be formally donated to the PNP before construction could begin.

Malones immediately offered a property owned by the municipal government.

He said the Maasin municipal government would donate a 450-square-meter lot for the new police station.

At the time, the proposed location was still within the town center but was considered less vulnerable than the existing police station.

The current Maasin police station occupies a cramped space, with a fence approximately one meter from its main entrance.

Because the fence stands close to the roadside, the facility has long been considered vulnerable to possible harassment or attacks.

Despite the commitment made in 2017, no new building had been constructed more than nine years later.

The original proposal followed an attack by an estimated 40 to 50 armed NPA rebels who stormed the town center and overpowered nine police officers on duty.

The rebels seized 11 M16 Armalite rifles, consisting of 10 Elisco rifles and one Colt rifle.

They also took 11 M16 magazines loaded with ammunition and 11 short magazines containing ammunition.

Other firearms taken included two 9mm Glock pistols with loaded magazines, a Super .38-caliber pistol, a Super Colt pistol with a loaded magazine and a 9mm Beretta pistol with a loaded magazine.

The rebels also seized an Icom base radio, seven portable handheld radios, the police station’s Toyota Hilux patrol vehicle, five sets of handcuffs, a non-drug inventory logbook, items stored in the evidence cabinet and two sets of general office attire (GOA) Type A uniforms.

Police personnel also lost personal belongings during the raid.

One police officer reported losing approximately PHP 18,000 in cash, a gold bracelet worth PHP 16,000, a laptop valued at PHP 20,000 and a wallet containing an automated teller machine (ATM) card and identification cards.

Other items taken from police personnel included a G-Shock watch worth PHP 6,000, another laptop, a Lenovo mobile phone, an iPhone 5S valued at PHP 30,000, PHP 10,000 in cash and a Samsung mobile phone.

The rebels also commandeered the police station’s Toyota Hilux patrol vehicle, which was later found abandoned in Alimodian, Iloilo.

The 2017 raid exposed weaknesses in the security and physical infrastructure of the Maasin police station, prompting calls for a more secure and properly equipped facility.

In February 2018, Maasin was among 13 Iloilo municipalities identified as needing suitable land for standard police station buildings.

The renewed commitment by Tuaño and Amboy places the long-delayed project back on the agenda, although construction still depends on the completion of the land donation requirements and the approval of funding by PNP national headquarters.