More police stations approved in Manila, QC

MANILA, Philippines — Metro Manila’s two biggest cities, Manila and Quezon City, are each getting two additional police stations to better handle peace and order problems in their areas.

The new Quezon City Police District (QCPD) stations will be in Bagong Silangan and Project 6, bringing the total number of police stations in the city to 14.

The Manila Police District (MPD), on the other hand, will inaugurate on Wednesday Police Station 12 in Baseco Compound and Police Station 13 in Del Pan.

In a press briefing on Tuesday, Police Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief, said the four new police stations would be initially manned by a total of 160 new recruits.

The NCRPO oversees the five police districts in Metro Manila, which are in charge of police stations. A police station, in turn, supervises police community precincts.

“The more numbered police stations we have, the better will be our patrolling and the quicker our men will respond [to emergencies]. It will also be easier for the public to report crimes,” Sinas said.

The creation of the new stations was prioritized based on the population and crime incidence in these areas.

The Bagong Silangan police station, for instance, will have jurisdiction over crimes committed in the barangay with the same name and Payatas which have a combined population of around 230,000.

Before the station’s creation, crime incidents in these barangays were reported to the Batasan police station, which also oversees the villages of Batasan Hills, Commonwealth, Holy Spirit, and Old Balara.

“It is better to delegate new police stations so our policemen may have more focus and better address the peace and order problems in these areas,” Sinas said.