P34 M allotted for 17 police stations in Albay

MANILA, Philippines - The government has allocated P34.1 million for the renovation and construction of 17 police stations in Albay, according to Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas.

Roxas said the localities given budgets for the renovation or construction of their police stations include Tabaco City with P16 million; Pio Duran town with P4.6 million, and Ligao City with P10.5 million.

Roxas said 14 other police stations in the province were allotted P200,000 to P300,000 each for renovations.

Roxas said the funds were released under his department’s Oplan Hilamos (Oplan Dignity), which has earmarked P170 million to renovate at least 1,700 old and dilapidated police stations to give lawmen dignity in their places of work.

“Police chiefs nationwide will be given a ‘menu’ of the things or items they wanted to repair or renovate at their stations, and they include worn-out roofing, toilets, lightings and paint. Every police station will be covered by a work program,” he said.

“The objective is to bring dignity back to the PNP officers’ place of work,” he added.

Roxas said the DILG will also hire 77 non-uniformed police personnel in Albay to boost the number of policemen patrolling and fighting crimes in the streets.

“I am encouraging young, idealistic, and disciplined high school graduates with technical or vocational skills and college undergraduates from Albay to join the Philippine National Police (PNP),” he said.

The PNP has been tasked to hire 7,439 non-uniformed personnel by June, 4,457 of whom will replace uniformed personnel doing office work in various police stations across the country.