DILG creates additional tourist police units

QUEZON CITY, Jan 6 (PIA) -- Coinciding with the launching of the Philippine’s new tourism slogan, the Department of Interior & Local Government (DILG) created 25 additional tourist police units (TPUs) to ensure the safety and protection of both domestic and foreign tourists in the country.

In a news release, DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo has enjoined concerned police regional offices, DOT regional offices, and the local government units concerned to forge memorandum of agreement of cooperation, as well as to extend support to other administrative requirements for the full operation of identified TPUs.

The 25 new tourist police units are in addition to the 14 existing TPUs which were established in 2010 following a memorandum of understanding between the Department of Tourism (DOT) and PNP, Robredo added.

The additional TPUs were established in Ilocos Norte Police Provincial Office (PPO), Cagayan, Cavite, Laguna, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Oriental Mindoro, Camarines Sur, Aklan, Cebu City and Province of Cebu, Negros Oriental, Tacloban City, Camiguin, Cagayan De Oro City, Davao City, General Santos City; Surigao del Norte, Baguio City, Manila Police District, Quezon City Police District, Eastern Police District, Northern Police District, and Southern Police District.

The creation of the additional 25 TPUs was made through a resolution issued by the National Police Commission (Napolcom) in keeping with the provisions of Republic Act No. 9593, otherwise known as the “The Tourism Act of 2009.”

The resolution stated that each TPU shall be headed by a police commissioned officer with the rank of Police Chief Inspector and shall perform the following functions: enforce laws and ordinances relative to the protection of lives, properties, and environment in area of responsibility; and exercise the general power to arrest, detain, search, and seize in accordance with existing laws.

A tourist police unit shall also conduct regular patrols to ensure the safety and protection of both tourists and residents within his jurisdiction; coordinate with concerned police stations in monitoring and investigating all cases involving tourists; and take immediate appropriate action to resolve conflicts, among others.

The same resolution also created the Tourists Assistance Centers (TACs) which shall serve as a facility for tourist information services, call center, lost and found, complaints, paging system, agency coordination on tourism, and other tourists and police assistance.

The TAC shall be established within the vicinity of international and domestic airports, major seaports, and in tourist destinations which shall maintain 24/7 information desks and billboards, manned by tourist police duty officers detailed on a rotation basis in every regional, provincial, and city police offices and station in the country.

The DILG chief explained that aside from TPUs and TACs, tourist assistance desks (TAD) shall also be put up in police stations located in areas with high volume of tourists. (DILG/RJB/SDL-PIA NCR)