IT’S final.
Only police officers of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) and other law enforcement agencies who are residents and voters of Cebu City will get an allowance from the City Government next year.
“That’s the plan of the mayor so we will follow him because those are his instructions,” said Councilor Margarita Osmeña.
The City’s Peace and Order Program head Kevin Chester Paz broached the proposal during the budget hearing last Nov. 5.
Osmeña, who chairs the committee on budget and finance, clarified that the allowance the City has been giving the police officers of the CCPO is not an obligation but an incentive.
She pointed out that the City is not singling out the police.
The councilor explained that the condition also applies to the personnel of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, National Bureau of Investigation and the Maritime Police.
In a separate interview, Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella urged the executive department not to be selective and to reconsider its plan not to give allowances to non-city residents and voters.
“I wish the mayor would reconsider his position on the matter because although they do not reside in the City of Cebu, they serve the constituency of the city. I think we really need the help of police,” he said.
The City grants allowances to all police officers of CCPO who have been with the city police for at least three months.
The CCPO currently has 1,282 police officers this year. Of the number, only 537 are city residents and voters. CCPO manpower is expected to go up to 1,536 police officers next year.
The City has been giving an P8,000 monthly allowance for the city director, P6,000 for station commanders and P2,500 for police non-commissioned officers.
Labella said if the executive department sets conditions on the granting of incentive allowance, then it should also apply to the judiciary.
“How about the judges and fiscals? Many of them are also not Cebu City residents. Does that mean that we should also not give them the allowance? Becoming a registered voter should not be the reason for giving them an allowance (since) they serve the city,” Labella said.