By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-Negros Occidental is aiming to officially utilize their new office building in the first quarter of 2022.
Mayor Mark Golez and PDEA-6 director Alex Tablate led the groundbreaking of the PDEA-Negros Occidental building at Seaview Subdivision in Barangay Guinhalaran yesterday, after the signing of the deed of usufruct.
PDEA-Negros Occidental head Nicolas Gomez said the local government donated 1,000 square meter lot as the ideal location for the construction of the building, after they paid a courtesy call with Golez in August this year.
The provincial PDEA has been renting a building in Barangay Mandalagan here since 2016.
Gomez said the office of the Abang Lingkod Partylist Rep. Stephen Paduano, who is a Negrense, allocated P10 million for the project.
Gomez said the construction already started last week for the first phase. The two-storey building is expected to be completed by February next year, he added.
The building will have a laboratory, detention, barracks for agents, and some offices.
Gomez said the building will be the first PDEA office in Western Visayas, since PDEA agents just rent spaces to be used as their offices in their respective areas.
Aside from the lot donation, the local government will also be providing logistical needs and assistance in the anti-drug efforts of PDEA in the province.
