ICPO to abolish 12 out of 21 police detachments
The Iloilo City Police Office will deactivate 12 out of its 21 Community Police Assistance Centers (COMPACs) for lack of personnel.
Senior Supt. Marietto Valerio, officer-in-charge of ICPO, said personnel-wise, it is difficult to maintain all the police detachments.
He said the ICPO personnel are spending so much time manning the police detachments, yet they have to continue reporting to these units because people expect them to be around.
“Kasi kung may nagpunta doon, expected na, na may pulis talaga doon (When people come, they expect the policemen to be around) ,” he said.
Valerio said policemen assigned to the deactivated COMPACs will be deployed to beat patrols in line with his priority to intensify police visibility operations in Iloilo City.
He said he is proposing that the deactivated COMPAC edifices will be taken over by barangay tanods and volunteers of Barangay Peacekeeping Assistance Teams.
Currently, the ICPO has 21 COMPACs spread in several areas, usually far from police stations.
Valerio said that of 21 police detachments, nine will still be maintained by the ICPO.
These include those in Brgy. Tanza Esperanza and Malipayon in City Proper to support the Task Force Esperanza-Malipayon; Iloilo Terminal Market in City Proper district to secure the Sangguniang Panlungsod offices; Brgy. Ingore, La Paz to help provide security for the Panay Power Corp. and Panay Energy Development Corp. power plants;
Brgy. Bakhaw, Mandurriao to support Task Force Bakhaw; Sto. Rosario-Duran, City Proper; Brgy. Mohon, Arevalo; and Brgy. Sto. Niño Norte, Arevalo Iloilo, Iloilo.
The two other COMPACs in barangays Bolilao and Hibao-an in Mandurriao district are currently manned by the Iloilo Public Safety Company.
“We are still studying if we need to deactivate or maintain the other COMPACs. For now, we are sure to maintain the nine police detachments,” Valerio said.*
