By Jennifer P. Rendon
More than three years after the groundbreaking, the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) has officially moved into its new headquarters at Barangay Sablogon, Passi City.
The inauguration followed a flag-raising ceremony attended by Brigadier General Jack Wanky, Western Visayas police chief, and Passi City Mayor Stephen Palmares.
Monday’s flag-raising ceremony marked the official residency of the IPPO headquarters in Passi City.
It is the second such ceremony following the groundbreaking event on Oct. 14, 2020, led by then Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 director, retired Brigadier General Rene Pamuspusan, and Palmares.
Colonel Bayani Razalan, Iloilo police chief, said most IPPO units still occupy their offices at the old headquarters at Camp Sumagaysay in Sta. Barbara town.
The three-story building, currently the only office structure at the Passi City headquarters, houses the Provincial Director’s office and personnel of the General Services Office (GSO).
Once the new IPPO headquarters completes its planned structures, the old facility will be occupied by the Iloilo Provincial Mobile Force Company.
Currently, the Police Security and Protection Group (PSPG) – Region VI also holds office in Sta. Barbara.
Razalan said other PNP national support units (NSUs), such as the PNP Drug Enforcement Group, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), and the Highway Patrol Group (HPG), have shown interest in relocating to the old IPPO headquarters.
The new IPPO headquarters property was donated by the local government of Passi City.
Situated on a two-hectare lot, the area provides ample space for future developments as outlined in the Camp Development Plan.
The transfer of the IPPO headquarters aligns with the program of former PNP chief General Camilo Pancratius Cascolan to decongest PNP camps.
Colonel Gilbert Gorero, then the IPPO chief, noted that the current IPPO headquarters site has limited space for additional facilities and offices. Camp Sumagaysay covers just 6,680 square meters.
Gorero highlighted that the new site, being at the center of Iloilo, is more accessible to Ilonggos and other police units in the province.
