BACOLOD CITY — A long-awaited police station for Barangay Singcang-Airport is moving closer to reality after a P15-million allocation for its construction was included in the proposed 2027 National Budget.
The planned facility is expected to strengthen police visibility and improve emergency response in one of Bacolod City’s largest and rapidly developing communities.
According to Barangay Singcang-Airport officials, the project was facilitated through the efforts of Bacolod Lone District Representative and House Deputy Speaker Alfredo Abelardo Benitez.
The proposed police station will be built on barangay-owned property in Purok Kapalaran, near the old Bacolod airport runway and adjacent to the area where major commercial development is taking place.
Barangay officials said the facility could significantly improve the delivery of police services, particularly by reducing response times to emergencies in Singcang-Airport and nearby communities.
Why the project matters
Singcang-Airport has evolved far beyond a traditional residential barangay.
The area has become a growing residential, commercial, institutional and transportation hub, with additional development expected around the former airport property. The planned SM development in the old airport area is among the projects cited by officials as a factor that could bring more residents, workers, businesses and visitors into the area.
That growth also means greater demand for public safety and law-enforcement services.
Yet despite its size and strategic location, Singcang-Airport currently does not have a police station within its territorial jurisdiction, according to the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod resolution supporting the project.
City council had already pushed for the station
The proposed facility did not emerge overnight.
The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod previously adopted Resolution No. 719, Series of 2026, authored by Councilor Atty. Caesar Distrito, urging the Philippine National Police, Bacolod City Police Office, Police Regional Office–Negros Island Region and Benitez to prioritize the establishment and funding of a police station in Singcang-Airport.
The latest budget development represents a major step forward for that proposal.
However, it is important to note that the 2027 National Budget is still a proposed budget, rather than money that has already been fully released for construction. The Department of Budget and Management has published the FY 2027 National Expenditure Program, which forms part of the government’s proposed national budget process.
Bacolod police are preparing for further expansion
The proposed Singcang-Airport station is also connected to a broader effort by the Bacolod City Police Office to expand its police infrastructure.
BCPO currently operates 10 police stations. Police officials have said Bacolod is seeking reclassification from a Type B to a Type A city police office, a move that could allow the city to establish additional stations.
Police Lt. Col. Lester Leada, BCPO deputy city director for administration, said Bacolod’s population is currently around 634,000 and continues to grow. Officials have pointed to a population of about 700,000 as a threshold associated with eligibility for additional police stations.
Under the proposed expansion, as many as five additional police stations could eventually be established if the city’s police office receives the necessary reclassification and approvals.
Development is changing Bacolod’s security needs
The need for additional police facilities is not limited to Singcang-Airport.
Police officials have previously identified Banago, Estefania and Vista Alegre for additional stations. But development around the old airport and along the newly constructed Bacolod–Negros Occidental Economic Highway has increased the need to consider Singcang-Airport and Cabug as well.
The planned station in Singcang-Airport therefore reflects a broader challenge facing rapidly expanding cities: public-safety infrastructure has to keep pace with population growth, new businesses, transportation networks and large-scale development.
A long-running proposal finally gains momentum
The idea of establishing a dedicated police facility in the area has been discussed for years.
In an earlier proposal, barangay officials offered a 500-square-meter property for a permanent police facility, noting that the existing Police Station 8 location was far from the center of its area of responsibility, which includes Singcang-Airport, Tangub and Pahanocoy.
The latest P15-million allocation could now turn years of planning into an actual construction project — provided the proposed funding moves through the remaining national budget process and the necessary police approvals.
The bigger picture
For residents, the significance goes beyond having another government building.
A dedicated police station could mean faster emergency response, greater police visibility and stronger peace-and-order coverage as Singcang-Airport continues to transform into one of southern Bacolod’s key growth areas.
And with major development expected around the old airport property, the question is no longer simply whether Singcang-Airport needs its own police station.
The bigger question is whether Bacolod can expand its security infrastructure quickly enough to keep pace with the area’s rapid growth.
Leave a Reply