CEBU City Police Office (CCPO) Director Royina Garma has ordered the 11 police station chiefs to check if barangay vehicles have blinkers and sirens, following President Rodrigo Duterte’s instruction to ban their unauthorized use.
All units under the Police Regional Office 7 received an order from Camp Crame to strictly implement Presidential Decree 96, which only allows fire trucks, police patrol cars, ambulances and authorized government agencies to use blinkers and sirens.
Garma urged the barangay captains to follow President’s order as she noticed some barangay vehicles were using sirens and blinkers.
The police official also prohibited tanods from wearing shirts with “barangay police” printed on the back, saying it will confuse the public.
Garma said the “police” markings on barangay vehicles should be erased, saying the markings will only be placed on the patrol cars owned by the Philippine National Police.
The police official also urged barangay officials who own unlicensed firearms to surrender these to police stations near their residence.
Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak said village officials whose gun license has expired should not wait for their houses to be raided by the police.
Garma received reports through text messages that there were tanods in mountain barangays who owned improvised, or paltik, firearms. (From AYB of SuperBalita Cebu, KAL)