More WV towns lack standard police stations

AT AROUND 3:30 a.m. of March 28, 2019, New People’s Army (NPA) tried to overrun the Victoria Municipal Police Station in Northern Samar.

They failed.

Fifteen policemen successfully defended their post against around 50 NPA rebels who attacked the station.

They engaged the rebels in a gunfight that lasted more than three hours.

Three rebels were killed in the incident, while two police officers were injured.

Some police officers readily positioned themselves at the rooftop of the station to get a good vantage point.

Others stayed at the police station building’s second floor.

It was a good thing that Victoria Police Station has a Type B/C police station building which served as their fortress against attackers.

In Western Visayas, only 45 of the 147 police stations have a standard Type B/C police station building.

A standard Type B/C police station building is PNP-owned and has two floors and a rooftop.

On the other hand, 17 police stations are occupying old standard building while 16 are occupying non-standard building.

By old standard, Police Lieutenant Colonel Joem Malong, Western Visayas police spokesperson, said that it is PNP-owned but bungalow type.

“It still needs to be upgraded,” she said.

Further, Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) records showed that there are 69 police stations that are still owned by local government units (LGUs). Fifty of these are separate from the municipal hall but are still not considered standard, 19 are within or co-located in the city/municipal building.

The PNP is ready to finance the construction of a standard police station provided there’s a lot donation and the LGU is willing to provide its counterpart.

Police Brigadier General John Bulalacao, Western Visayas police station, said police stations have been ingenuous in making plans to lower their vulnerability against rebel attacks.

Recently, a regional synchronized prophylactic or preventive operations were conducted to pre-empt any possible rebel attack.

“We did it para ang nagpapalano na pumasok would be intercepted by the operating troops,” he said.

But for the long term, Bulalacao said it would further fortify a police station’s defense if it will have their own standard building.