PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte gave a Christmas cash gift of P400,000 to Philippine National Police chief Dir. Gen. Ronald dela Rosa, the first head of the institution to be receive such a huge bonus since its inception in 1992.
The Christmas gift is equivalent to P100,000 for each star rank and since Dela Rosa is the only four-star rank in the PNP.
The next three highest officials—the deputy for administration; deputy for operations; and the chief of the directorial staff, will get P300,000 each while regional directors having a two-star rank will get a bonus of P200,000.
All police district directors in Metro Manila including provincial directors having a rank of chief superintendent will receive cash gifts of P100,000.
Below the one-star rank, police officers having a rank of superintendent down to inspector would have a uniform cash gift of P50,000.
Police personnel with a rank of SPO4 to PO1 and non-uniformed personnel of the PNP regularly receive cash incentives during Christmas Day.
Low-ranked police personnel remained mum on the huge Christmas bonuses of the top police officials.
“While the President wanted to similarly give cash bonuses to all up to the last PO1 and NUP, he [the President] could not afford it,” Dela Rosa said.
“This is the first time it’s happened in the PNP. That’s how much the President supports the PNP. He loves the PNP, so we are all happy,” Dela Rosa said during the PNP’s Christmas party Monday.
Dela Rosa said the cash bonuses are ready for pick-up from his office in Camp Crame and when queried where the cash gift came, he said “it probably came from the President’s intelligence fund.”
Dela Rosa said Duterte’s bonus to all police officials is based on performance rating, particularly those fighting illegal drugs dealers and criminal elements.
“So everybody enjoys. There is a cash gift from the chief PNP and from Malacañang,” Dela Rosa said.
A House leader on Monday urged the government to rush the payment of higher combat duty rates owed them before the year ends.
Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. is said it is about time for the Duterte government to implement President Duterte’s Executive Order No. 3 , which took effect Sept. 1.
The EO raises to P3,000 per month the “Combat Duty Pay” of the officers and enlisted personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the uniformed personnel of the Philippine National Police.
On top of this, Andaya said the EO grants a daily “Combat Incentive Pay” of P300 to uniformed personnel “who figure directly in actual combat against members of various insurgent, terrorist and lawless elements.”