Clamor started in 2021
TACLOBAN CITY – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. renamed the police provincial headquarters of Biliran after a local hero of World War I.
The renaming of the Biliran provincial police office (BPPO) into Camp Private Andres P. Dadizon was contained under Proclamation Number 430 signed by the President on December 20 but was only released on Wednesday (Dec.27).
Along with the change of the name of BPPO were two other police camps, Police Regional Office 12 as Camp General Paulino T. Santos, and Camarines Sur 1st Provincial Mobile Force Company Headquarters as Camp 2Lt Rafael Paz Imperial.
The President cited Section 2 of Republic Act No. 10066 or the Strengthening People’s Nationalism Through Philippine History Act which states that the government shall provide means to strengthen people’s nationalism, love of country, and respect for its heroes and pride for the people’s accomplishments by reinforcing the importance of national and local history in daily life.
The move to change the name of BPPO started in 2021 wherein deliberation was made at the Police Regional Office 8 to change the name of the police camp to Camp Private Andres P Dadizon, a local hero of Biliran province.
This was supported by the provincial government of Biliran through a resolution approved by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan authored by Board Member Allan Tubis.
Pvt. Dadizon is a Filipino soldier from Cabucgayan town in Biliran province who was sent to Europe to fight alongside the Americans during World War 1.
He died on July 31, 1918, and his remains were buried at the San Francisco National Cemetery in San Francisco, California.
To commemorate his bravery, a statue of Pvt. Dadizon was originally installed in the 1930s inside Camp Bumpus (Leyte Park Hotel) which was used as the headquarters of the Philippine Constabulary (PC).
The statue was dismantled from its pedestal after the PC headquarters was transferred to Campetik, Palo to give way for the construction of the Leyte Park Hotel around 1980.
The statue, which was located at the shoreline of Leyte Park, was dragged by the storm surge brought by Super Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ on November 8, 2013. For several years, the statue was neglected and partly covered by grass and sand along the shore.
The statue was then recovered in 2021 and was brought to Biliran province in December of the same year.
ROEL T. AMAZONA
