PNP Chief Sinas led the ground breaking of new DIPO-Western Mindanao hub in Pagadian City

 PNP Chief PGEN Debold M. Sinas with Pagadian City Mayor Samuel S. Co during the cutting of ribbon of the newly renovated Headquarter of Area Police Command for Zamboanga Peninsula located in Barangay Balintawak, this City. (Photo by HJDC)

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 PAGADIAN CITY (Dec. 20, 2020) – The new headquarters of the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations - Western Mindanao (DIPO-WM) will soon rise at President Corazon Aquino Regional Center located at Barangay Balintawak in Pagadian City following the ground breaking ceremony led by newly appointed PNP Chief PGEN Debold M. Sinas who arrived here Saturday morning.

The ground breaking ceremony was hosted by Pagadian City Mayor Samuel S. Co together with the members of 13^th City Council headed by the City Vice Mayor Maffy Obaob and some City Government Officials.

It was recalled that former PNP Chief PGen Archie Gamboa express his gratitude to City Government of Pagadian for donating the site of the new headquarters of DIPO-WM.

(Photo shows from left) Pagadian City Vice Maay Obaob, Mayor Samuel S. Co, former PNP Chief PGen Archie Gamboa and pther PNP Official (Photo grabbed from PNP website)

 In a simple signing ceremony at the Office of the Chief PNP in Camp Rafael T. Crame, Quezon City, the former PNP Chief PGen Gamboa together with Pagadian City Mayor Samuel S. Co formalized the Deed of Donation last June 22, 2020.

“The PNP’s Master Development Plan enlists the help of our LGU’s in donating parcels of land that will serve as new hubs of our DIPOs across the country. Pagadian City is our pioneering partner and we are most thankful for their support,” PGEN Sinas said during the ground breaking.

Based on the City Council Resolution No. 2020-0418, the new DIPO site will be established at the President Corazon C. Aquino Regional Government Center in Brgy. Balintawak, Pagadian City.

Sinas thanked Mayor Co and members of the City Council for their commitment and overwhelming support to the PNP. In fact, Pagadian LGU unanimously approved on February 26, 2020 the said resolution for donating 29,356 sq.m of land area as exclusive site for DIPO-WM Headquarters.

PGEN Sinas disclosed that under his leadership DIPO-WM was recently rename as Area Police Command headed by 3-Star Police General with his Deputy as 2-Star General and 1 Star General, this command is similar to WestMinCom.

There are five Area Police Command in the country, two in Luzon, one in Visayas and two in Mindanao located in Davao and here in Pagadian City, Sinas added.

Sinas was assigned in this city more than four years and also more than eleven years at the Police Regional Office 9 in Zamboanga City before his assignment in Camp Crane, Quezon City.

PNP Chief PGEN Debold M. Sinas during the interview by the members of Pagadian City Media

Meanwhile, City Mayor Co also expressed his thanks to the leadership of PNP for choosing Pagadian as the Headquarter of Area Police Command in Western Mindanao.

Recently President Rodrigo Duterte has signed Memorandum Circular (MC) 79 on June 25, lifting the moratorium on the transfer of regional government offices from Zamboanga City to Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur following the EO No. 429 issued in 1990 signed by former President Corazon Aquino as the new administrative region in Zamboanga Peninsula, Mayor Co disclosed

The regional offices of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and the Department of Tourism (DOT), will remain in Zamboanga City but should establish a presence in Pagadian City, according to MC 79.

“The transfer of these agencies, to be supervised by the NEDA RDC (Regional Development Council) IX, in coordination with the City Government of Pagadian City, must be completed within two years from the effectivity of this Circular,” the order read.

                              Pagadian City Mayor Samuel S. Co 

Co added that PRRD thru his Department Secretaries was given timeline to all Regional Directors to transfer their Regional Offices starting next year 2021.

The City Government is now preparing land area of at least 50-Hectares ready to accommodate the Regional Offices, Co said.    

PMGen Edwin C Roque, Director, Directorate for Logistics said the proposed budget for the construction of the building for DIPO will be costing around Php104,452,200.00 under the Convergence Infrastructure Plan of Police Regional Office 9 and the Department of Public Works and Highways to be constructed in the first quarter next year 2021. (BY JONG D. CADION)