Release the police's budget: Garma to Osmeña

THE Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) is asking Mayor Tomas Osmeña to give the P20-million budget that was approved by the City Council during the time of former mayor Michael Rama.

Senior Superintendent Royina Garma, CCPO director, said the budget has not yet been given to them.

The police official said she saw the budget for CCPO while attending the Cebu City Peace and Order Council (PCAC) meeting early this week and she hopes it will be given before the year ends.

“I saw in the report that there is an amount allotted in the training, amount allotted for the improvement of police station, allowances etcetera, at even sa other activities ng PNP nakalagay duon but wala man kaming natanggap,” she said.

Garma, however, admitted that CCPO still receives support from the Cebu City Government, which provides the local police with vehicles, gasoline and allowances. But she said there are still a lot of money in the peace and order funds that remain unspent.

During the time of Rama, the former mayor allocated P15 million for the training of CCPO-Special Weapons and Tactics.

Another P3 million was set aside for the procurement of ammunition.

But these allocations went for naught after Rama was defeated by Osmeña in the 2016 elections.

Garma denied she is requesting Osmeña, but she clarified that the mayor should release the budget intended for CCPO, as it is for the greater good of the public by using the money for anti-drugs programs and repairs of some police station.

She added that they need radio communication equipment.

Last August, CCPO recieved handheld radios from President Rodrigo Duterte, with the help of Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Lloyd Dino.

Osmeña has been publicly criticizing the local police after his ally Tejero, Cebu City Councilor Jessielou Cadungog figured in an alleged ambush attempt last July.

Cadungog's driver-bodyguard William Macaslang shot dead Police Officer 3 Eugene Calumba after seeing the police officer pulled out a gun.

Garma and Police Regional Office-Central Visayas Director Debold Sinas have denied that Calumba was a hitman, saying the slain cop was conducting a surveillance on illegal drug trade in Tejero at the time of incident. (KAL)

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