PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) Chief General Rodolfo S. Azurin Jr. on Wednesday led the blessing and inauguration of a state-of-the-art building of the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) which will be the new home of the cybercops fighting high-tech criminals here and abroad.

“We laud the past and present leadership of the PNP-ACG for embarking on changes and innovations geared towards leading the group to greater heights, including the construction of this cutting-edge building that boasts a resilient and robust cybercrime response which is set to be the home of our cybercops,” said the PNP chief.

The new PNP-ACG building is the second Camp Crame facility to be equipped with an elevator as the police force continues to embark on a massive modernization program to fight cybercriminals, including “sex offenders” attacking women and young children via social media.

Azurin said the modern facility, which is considered at par with the PNP-ACT counterparts abroad, will be very crucial to the requirements of the cybercops as they need to keep pace with the ever-changing peace and security environment and on responding to cyber-security threats, computer-related crime, and other content-related offenses.

PNP-ACG Director Brig. Gen. Joel B. Doria described the inauguration of their new building as the biggest milestone in the unit’s history as “it is the realization of their long-held dream of moving into a headquarters that is modern, more conducive for work and productivity, and more advantageous to the needs of both our personnel and clientele.”

The official said that the five-storey PNP-ACG building, which is a place they really can call their own, was really “a shoot for the moon” proposal made way back in 2016.

Since its activation in 2013, the PNP-ACG has been occupying the former PNP Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management-run PNP Detective School building located beside the main Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) office.

“For the most part, the facilities were only improvised. And over the years, the makeshift PNP-ACG headquarters could no longer accommodate our growing administrative and operational requirements. Not even a couple of renovations could cure the impediment of occupying a space that is not sufficient for the unit,” Doria said.

According to him, such a situation compelled both the past and present PNP-ACG leaderships to strive for an office building that suits the requirements of their workforce and changing operational demands.

It was in 2016 when the PNP-ACG first sought the availability of the open space between the PNP Logistics Support Service (LSS) warehouse and Camp Crame perimeter fence along EDSA, which, however, was found to have already been given to the PNP EOD-K9 Group for their canine kennel facility in 2015.

However, the corrected version of the plan for the proposed infrastructure project was made by the PNP Engineering Service in November 2016.

The new plan provided the PNP-ACG with an 844 square-meter space for its new building.

In January 2017, the proposed lots to include that for the PNP-ACG were subsequently approved by the PNP leadership.

“There may have been delays in the process, but our proposal ultimately gained traction in September 2019 through the secured, mobile, artificial intelligence-driven, real-time technology (S.M.A.R.T.) policing project. In August 2020, the blueprint was officially put into work through a groundbreaking ceremony,” he added.

Doria said that the onslaught of COVID-19 also challenged and impacted the then-ongoing construction of the new PNP-ACG building.

“While the situation made us think that there was still so much to build, the perseverance and commitment of the men and women of the PNP-ACG, the PNP leadership, and our partners kept us grounded to the idea that there was so much to gain as well,” he added.

Doria said that the project is a testament to the universality of the Peace and Security Framework of Azurin: the “Malasakit, Kaayusan, at Kapayapaan Tungo sa Kaunlaran.”

“Malasakit,” he said, represents the collective will of the commanders of the PNP-ACG, past and present, to provide nothing less for the men and women who serve under them and the people they serve.

“No longer will our personnel need to endure the rain and intense heat. No longer will our walk-in clients have to wait under a tent or bear inclement weather. Let this new building represent the world-class service that the PNP has to offer,” he said.

Azurin congratulated Doria and his predecessors for their effort to protect our cyberspace despite a number of challenges.

Before Brig. Gen. Doria, and other officials who commanded the PNP-ACG include former PNP chief, now retired Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar, retired Police 3-Star Gen. Marni C. Marcos Jr., retired 2-Star Generals Gilbert T. Sosa and Arnel B. Escobal, Maj. Gen. Robert T. Rodriguez, now the PNP Director for Personnel and Records Management, and Brig. Gen. Bowenn Joey M. Masauding, now the PNP Finance Service director.