PNP to construct 30 modern police stations this year

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine National Police (PNP) will construct at least 30 model police stations this year as it double its efforts in processing the land titles for its “squatter” police stations nationwide. According to Sr. Supt. Cristino Campanilla, head of the PNP Engineering Service, 70 percent of the total numbers of lands where PNP stations are erected are not yet in the name of the PNP. “The total ng number of police stations is 1,600 and out of this number, we have police stations where the land title is not with the PNP... more or less 70 percent are not yet in the name of the PNP,” Campanilla said. The said lots are still under the names of the donors such as the local government units and private individuals. Campanilla said they have already intensifued the efforts to transfer the land titles to the PNP and vowed to accomplish the mission within two years. “Normally, matagal kasi ang processing ng pagta-title, dun sa timetable namin it would take two years for us na yung title will be transferred to the PNP (Normally, the processing of the land title takes time. Our time table is two years),” he said. Such problem, however, does not hamper in their program of constructing model police stations, a project initiated by retired PNP chief Arturo Lomibao. Campanilla said the construction of model police stations can already push through once the deed of donations are already executed, as in the case of some of the 30 police stations that are set to be built this year. Campanilla revealed that the funding for the 30 police stations will come from the P100 million budget allotted by the Congress for the PNP for this year. Aside from the Congress funding, Campanilla said they are also raising funds on their own to construct more police stations especially in far-flung areas. “Our priority is the construction of police stations, we would want 100 percent out of 1,600 cities and municipalities that we really can call model police stations,” he said. - GMANews.TV