A contractor of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is set to start construction of a three-storey building that would serve as the new headquarters of the Catanduanes Police Provincial Office at Camp Francisco Camacho.
The other Monday, Governor Joseph Cua, Police Provincial Director Col. Paul Abay, DPWH District Engineer Gil Augustus Balmadrid, DILG Provincial Director Uldarico Razal Jr. and former Virac Mayor Samuel Laynes, representing the contractor, attended the groundbreaking for the new headquarters along with other local officials and police officers.
In his message, the chief executive hoped that the completion of the building months from now will boost the morale of the local police force in fulfilling their mandate to serve and protect their fellow Catandunganons.
He disclosed that his administration is working on the possibility of establishing a crime laboratory facility in the province soon to help fast-track the processing of evidence without the hassle of traveling to the mainland.
The governor also revealed that plans are in the works to allocate P100 million for the upgrading of the facilities at Camp Camacho, including the construction of a perimeter fence along two of its sides and the repair and renovation of existing officers’ quarters and other buildings.
“Midbid an mga taga-Catanduanes na matibay maski ano pang bagyo an mag-agi. An pandemyang ini malalampasan ta sa satong pagtarabagangan,” Cua stated as he called on everyone to strengthen collaboration in pushing forward to build safer and resilient communities in the “new normal” amid the COVID-19 crisis.
For his part, PD Abay expressed his elation that the project pushed through as he thought it would no longer pursued with funds for some government buildings reduced due to the pandemic.
He bared that among the six Bicol provinces, only the new building for the Catanduanes PNP has yet to be started, with only that of Masbate still on-going.
The Camp Camacho building was supposed to be built on the vacant area at the right of the main road but experts convinced PD Abay to relocate the same at the back of the existing main headquarters.
He disclosed that the main building built in the early 70’s will be renovated, with a hallway to be created linking it to the new headquarters at the back.
In constructing the project, the contractor will have to relocate the communications tower and its control station as well as demolish a small building, hindrances which PD Abay said would be addressed by the contractor to enable him to finish the project before the Dec. 31, 2020 deadline.
Describing the new site development as unique among the six PNP provincial headquarters in Bicol, he said that next year, officers and men of the Catanduanes will now be able to see the whole of Virac from its roof deck as vantage point.
“Sana maging mas masipag kayo pag nagawa na ito,” Col. Abay told his officers and men who were present during the brief ceremony.