IN his resolve to fight criminality and terrorism and increase the morale of the law enforcers, former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada released another P45 million for the allowances of the 4,600-strong Manila Police District.
In simple ceremonies at the Manila City Hall last Thursday, Estrada personally handed the check worth P45,992,500 to MPD Director Senior Supt. Joel Coronel representing the second tranche of the Peace and Order Allowances for this year of the 4,652 members of the city police force for the months of May to August.
“Some city hall employees have been jealous of you,” Estrada told the MPD policemen.
“But I would tell them: our policemen risk their lives everyday to keep us, all of you, secure and protected. We sleep peacefully at night because there are men like them who are ready to lay their lives to keep us away from danger,” Estrada said.
“I’ve been fully supportive of you,” Estrada told the MPD personnel. “All the city asks from each of you is to do your duties well. We should show them that Manila police is different from any other police unit in the Philippines.”
As to President Rodrigo Duterte’s war against illegal drugs, Estrada also exhorted MPD to support the incumbent president’s campaign to rid the country of illegal drugs and suppress criminality and terrorism.
“We have to support the incumbent President for his all-out war against drugs, kung hindi kawawa ang ating bansa, ang ating lungsod at ang kinabukasan ng ating kabataan,” he said.
On behalf of the city police force, Coronel conveyed his gratitude to the mayor. He said this is the first time in MPD’s long history where the city executive is fully supportive of the local police.
“We are grateful to the mayor. This is unprecedented. The city government is very generous, even in the past, we did not get the allowances. ” Coronel said.
“The MPD now has the highest morale ever. We are at highest morale ever, there is no reason for us to fail the mayor or the city government,” he added.
From the P45.99-million fund released by the Office of the Mayor, the MPD chief said each MPD member stands to receive P10,000, at P2,500 per month for the period of May to August.
The P45.99 million is part of the P137 million Estrada has set aside for the MPD in 2016. From September to December, the MPD personnel will get another P10,000 each as Peace and Order Allowances, Coronel added.
MPD members have already received the first tranche of their allowances covering the period of January to April.
“We will repay the good mayor by performing our mission well – to maintain peace and order which is his priority, in order for the city to achieve economic progress,” Coronel said.
“All policemen are directed to report for duty everyday, perform their duties as mandated by our police operational procedures, and for supervisors to supervise them properly, and see to it that we are able to prevent or suppress crimes as mandated by the law,” the MPD official added.
Since his assumption to office in 2013, Estrada has allotted P1.9 billion for crime prevention program, which includes P136 million in back allowances of MPD members and the procurement of 41 new mobile patrol cars and 110 electric personal transporters.
Through P20 million funding, he had also renovated the main headquarters of MPD in United Nations Avenue, the first time since it was built way back 1949.