ZAMBOANGA City Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar pressed the Philippine National Police (PNP) Maritime Group to establish a station in the village of Bolong and “make its presence felt in the east coast.”
Salazar said the establishment of a PNP Maritime Group station in Bolong, Zamboanga City, will thwart piracy and other related crimes in the high seas.
Salazar made the statement in the wake of the massacre of eight crewmen of a locally-owned fishing boat near Siromon Island in the village of Dita, east of the city.
“We are pushing for the relocation or co-location of the Maritime police somewhere in Luy property in Bolong to help oversee and supervise security against criminals in the high seas,” Salazar said.
The PNP Maritime Group is currently located at the back to the Zamboanga City State Polytechnic College in the village of Baliwasan.
“We need to have it there (in Bolong) to conduct coastal patrol,” Salazar said.
He said the Maritime police must have enough equipment to counter maritime criminals, not only to establish its presence in the area through coastal patrol. (Bong Garcia/SunStar Philippines)