ANDA.–Securing Anda’s becoming Bohol’s newest tourism destination is anchored on keeping peace and security of the place, that local officials believe securing their police keeps that dream going. In the most recent turn of events, Anda Mayor Angelina Simacio said putting a new building for its town police is their biggest priority for now. “We have just allocated P200,000 as our local counterpart apart from a lot which we donate for the new Philippine National Police (PNP) building,” she told members of the media during the recent out-of-town Talakayan sa Isyung Pulis (TSIP), April 18, 2012 at the Anda Global beachfront resort. Anda has submitted the request for the PNP to fund the construction of the new building, but Camp Dagohoy officials have temporarily shelved their request.

PSupt. Clarito Baja, Camp Dagohoy assistant provincial director for operations said that the PNP wants Anda to secure a Sangguniang Bayan Resolution formalizing the lot donation before the PNP brass could consider the town request. Intent on realizing their request, Vice Mayor Paulino Amper committed to work with the town SB to comply with the requirement as fast as possible. Located in the southeastern most part of Bohol island, Anda boasts of powdery untouched white beaches and secluded coves comparable to the best in the world which have opened up for high-end resorts and leisure investments. We know we are groomed as the next tourism destination in Bohol and we are pushing hard to develop tourist destinations, she beamed.

Anda’s Lamanoc Island Mystical Experience has far stirred local and foreign tourists, and its dive spots are now getting into international dive circles. About 100 kilometers from Tagbilaran, travel time to Anda is an hour and forty five minutes on paved roads along scenic coastlines of Bohol. With a few beach resorts slowly stirring up local economies, Anda local officials shared that a stable peace and security in the town contributes greatly to the dream of opening its doors to more investments. But distance also set assigned policemen in town at a certain degree of discomfort. “We have about 10 policemen who do not come from the town, we have to host them so they would stay with us,” the lady mayor reasoned, emphasizing the need for a separate police office that would have some semblance of decent living quarters for its police men.

“We prioritized a separate PNP building where police can hold office in comfort,” she said adding that the present station at the side of the town hall is “too small and the men temporarily converting a town bodega mezzanine as their living quarters.” Mayor Simacio, who bared that the town supplies at east three sacks of rice and a box of sardines for the police in town said they have to motivate the local police into doing their job of keeping Anda ready when the time comes. She also bared that aside from the regular police, Anda also maintains an active Bantay Dagat team making sure they keep their seas perfect for the upcoming tourists.