Three years after a training program intended to turn police officers into tourism ambassadors, the Catanduanes Police Provincial Office has officially activated its first Tourist-Oriented Police for Community Order and Protection (TOPCOP) unit.
In a ceremony attended by provincial and local officials last July 23, 2026 at the former Virac police station headquarters, the CatPPO Tourist Police Unit (TPU) was formally activated and recognized by Officer-in-Charge and Deputy Provincial Director for Administration PLt. Col. Dario P. Sola and DPD for Operations PLt. Col. Joceric O. dela Peña.
Also present were OIC-Provincial Human Resource Management Officer Remelito Cabrera, who represented Governor Patrick Alain T. Azanza; Acting Provincial Board Member Joy Z. Tamayo; Provincial Tourism Officer Carmel Bonifacio-Garcia; Virac Mayor Sinforoso Sarmiento Jr.; San Andres Mayor Aly T. Romano; San Miguel Mayor Antonio T. Teves; PLt. Col. Diome C. Cardano, chief of the Provincial Operations Management Unit (POMU); PLt. Col. Josefa Sylvia L. Zape, chief of the Provincial Police Personnel Unit (PPPU); and PLt. Col. Emsol E. Icawat, chief of the Provincial Administrative and Resource Management Unit (PARMU).
Gov. Azanza and the three local chief executives reaffirmed their joint commitment to sustaining peace, order, and public safety across the province.
Composed of 65 specially trained police officers, the TOPCOP unit will be deployed across major tourist spots, heritage sites, and high-foot-traffic areas to provide tourist assistance, enforce safety protocols, and ensure a peaceful environment that supports sustainable economic growth.
With Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) head PMaj. Ariel R. Buraga serving as concurrent head, the TOPCOP unit is composed of four clusters: the PHQ TPU covering Virac, San Andres and San Miguel; Cluster 1 for Bato, Baras and Gigmoto; Cluster 2 for Viga, Panganiban and Bagamanoc; and Cluster 3 for Caramoran and Pandan.
The 65 personnel will be divided among the clusters and will be based at one of the police stations belonging to the cluster.
PMaj. Buraga told the Tribune that the activation is covered by a directive from Camp Crame authorizing selected provincial police offices to create TOPCOP units which will secure tourist destinations and tourists arriving in their respective areas.
The members of the unit underwent 15 days of training at the Police Regional Office No. 5 at Camp Simeon Ola in Legazpi City, he added.
PARMU chief PLt. Col. Icawat explained that the national headquarters likely saw the need to include Catanduanes among the tourist destinations covered by the directive.
The team has already trained on search and rescue and will still undergo refresher training on Basic Life Support (BLS) and First Aid with the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Catanduanes Chapter this week.
“Based on the operational concept, there is still a need for additional personnel who will have to be trained for the purpose,” Icawat said.
“There are tourist spots which are far enough to raise concerns about the security and safety of the police personnel who will be responding to any incident,” he stressed. “Each cluster has to have a full complement of personnel and be based at their own stations.”
The welcome development comes three years after the Catanduanes Provincial Tourism Office rolled out a five-day Integrated TOPCOP training for 40 police officers intended to transform them into tourism ambassadors along with their deployment to areas with high tourism arrivals and traffic.