CEBU, Philippines – The first police substation in Dumaguete City was expected to be established at Barangay Cadawinonan by January next year, to be manned by at least 16 organic members of the City Police.
Superintendent Jovito Atanacio, OIC chief of the Dumaguete Police, said the plan is to set up at least five police substations in strategic places in the city, as part of the plant to transform the city police station into the Dumaguete City Police Office.
Cadawinonan barangay chairperson Guilieta Binondo had urged Atanacio to set the first substation in her barangay, which was not even in the list of proposed sites.
Atanacio and Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria, after conducting a survey and inspection of the area, agreed that Cadawinonan is strategically located for the first substation, which could cover at least five other barangays, besides being in the list of high proliferation of illegal drugs.
Atanacio said Cadawinonan is best suited for police substation no. 1, and a portion of the barangay hall is now being prepared for its office, which might be headed by Inspector Philipides Sillero, with augmentation forces of auxiliary policemen and tanods to conduct regular and beat patrols.
With the establishment of the first substation soon, police response time will be reduced significantly, Atanacio said.
The other barangays planned for other substations is Camanjac in the northern part of the city, and Bajumpandan in the south, each of which could cover five or six neighboring barangays in their operations.
Bajumpandan is strategically located in the center of five barangays and home to 10 housing subdivisions, the NORSU campus, the slaughterhouse, district jail and the jail for women.
Among the requirements for a substation is the availability of a public land where it will be put up, plus the approval of the officials of the city government and the Police Regional Office-18 of the Negros Island Region, said the top city police official.
Meanwhile, Atanacio led the City Police in distributing food packs ot indigent families in Barangay Looc, as part of his Christmas gift-giving activity in places where he is assigned. Each “bundle of joy” contained few kilos of rice and grocery items, and he added that another barangay will soon be the recipient of his yearly activity.
Atanacio further announced that two squads of policemen from the Regional Public Safety Batallions in Mabinay and Sta. Catalina towns will be deployed to Dumaguete as part of the augmentation force in the city to secure the Christmas celebration.
The City Police will be on a 12-hour shift to conduct beat and mobile patrols, secure the malls, bus terminals, airport and seaports, and churches, Atanacio added. —Juancho R. Gallarde (FREEMAN)