PH’s 1st tourist police school to be put up in Boracay

ILOILO CITY—The Philippine National Police is setting up the country’s first tourist police school on Boracay Island in Aklan.

The Boracay Tourist Police School to be located in Barangay  Manoc-Manoc will provide a two-month training for policemen who will be deployed to the country’s tourist destinations, said Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr., Western Visayas police chief, who initiated the project.

Cruz said Boracay Island is an ideal training ground because at least half of the tourists who visit the country also go to the 1,032-hectare island.

“Tourism is 24/7 in Boracay and there is no lean season. This makes the island very ideal for developing skills for patrolling and peace and order work in tourist areas,” Cruz told the Inquirer.

More than 1.2 million tourists visited the island last year, according to records of the Department of Tourism.

The school will be constructed on a 300-square-meter property donated by Commodore Leonard Tirol of the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary-Western Visayas.

The PNP will allocate P12 million to build a three-story building that will house the school. The construction is scheduled to start within the year depending on the release of funds, according to Cruz.

The reception area, administrative and maintenance office will be situated on the first floor while the second story will house three classrooms and an office.

The third floor of the building will serve as a dormitory that can accommodate 50 trainees at one time while the rooftop will be utilized as a multipurpose hall.

Cruz said the training of policemen for tourist destinations would be extended from the current two-week course to two months, including the on-the-job training.

“We hope to apply the experience and lessons in policing Boracay to other tourist destinations,” Cruz said.

PNP chief Police Director General Alan Purisima graced the inauguration and ceremonial groundbreaking of the facility held on July 5.