ACADEMY. Workers rush preparations for the groundbreaking ceremonies of the new Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Academy in Tanay, Rizal. PDEA's leadership, Tanay town officials and lawmakers took part in the event on Tuesday (April 23, 2024). (Photo by Pau Dela Cruz)
TANAY, Rizal – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Academy will be relocated to this town as soon as the construction of a state-of-the-art training complex inside a sprawling 11-hectare property is completed.
The envisioned school will be complete with spacious classrooms, a gymnasium, a shooting range, and other facilities needed to hone the skills of the country’s next generation of drug enforcement agents, PDEA’s leadership said during groundbreaking ceremonies Tuesday.
PDEA Director General Undersecretary Moro Virgilio Lazo told reporters that the new PDEA Academy will be a center of excellence in drug law enforcement education, complete with modern research and scientific facilities.
“The training complex is also envisaged as an eco-friendly community. Enclosed with green buildings that use renewable energy and support sustainable development and environmental protection,” he said.
The academy will rise in Sitio Tablon, Barangay Cuyambay, a location that has earned a reputation as an eco-tourism destination, Lazo said.
Surigao 2nd District Rep. Robert “Ace” Barbers represented House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez during the ceremonies.
Lazo said Congress has earmarked a total of PHP1.5 billion for the construction of the PDEA Academy, with an initial PHP50 million already released for fencing and the construction of a gate.
Thanks to congressional insertions in the 2024 budget, PDEA is set to receive an additional PHP500 million intended for the site's construction of road networks, water and drainage system electrical power supply, and design and construction plans of priority buildings and facilities, he added.
Since 2006, the PDEA Academy has been temporarily occupying a meager 5,600 square meters of land inside Camp General Mariano Castañeda in Barangay Tartaria, Silang, Cavite where its flagship program, the Drug Enforcement Officers Basic Course (DEOBC), is being conducted. (With report from Pauline Dela Cruz/PNA)
