A CEBU City Councilor has filed a resolution to honor Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) director Police Colonel Enrico Figueroa who was recently named Best Senior Police Commissioned Officer for Operations in the entire Philippines.
Figueroa was given the recognition during the 124th Police Service Anniversary at Camp Crame on Aug. 12, 2025.
Councilor Paul Labra II told members of the PNP Press Corps that the resolution aims to recognize the great honor Figueroa has given to the city’s police force, as only one officer from the entire PNP organization is given the distinction each year.
Labra, a former Police Brigadier General, shared that he once aspired to receive such an award but was unable to do so because of the difficult requirements needed to achieve it.
“As the chairman of the Peace and Order Council in Cebu City, I am proposing a resolution to honor Colonel Enrico Figueroa. As career officers, this is one of the awards we aspire to receive, and it is only given to those who truly deserve it. We are fortunate that our City Director here in Cebu City Police Office was selected,” Labra said.
Figueroa expressed gratitude to Labra for his efforts and promised to reciprocate with continued hard work to maintain order and safety in Cebu City.
Figueroa explained that one of the reasons he was chosen for the award was the exceptional performance of his team who succeeded to reduce Cebu City’s crime rate by 32.7 percent.
The success was also attributed to the CCPO’s Oplan Bulabog that aimed to enforce all city ordinances, with police officers from every station going out on roving patrols in neighborhoods.
Aside from cops patrolling the streets for more police visibility, Figueroa also sent them to patrol villages, especially at night, to warn people still outside their homes during the late hours and early morning.
Figueroa said this proved effective in crime prevention.
He said the initiative greatly helped local residents by managing troublemakers in their areas and providing protection to workers returning home in the wee hours.
Figueroa acknowledged that policing in Cebu City is a major challenge due to the city’s status as one of the most developed places in the Philippines; but he assured the CCPO will continue their efforts to reduce all forms of crime.
“It’s really challenging, of course, Cebu City is Cebu City. First of all, we consider our resources and personnel — because we are really understaffed. But as I said, we are deploying our force multipliers effectively because they continue to help us,” said Figueroa.
Figueroa is confident that the police will succeed in their efforts, particularly with the implementation of their programs and the return of Oplan Pakigsandurot, the community-based initiative aimed to safeguard the city, particularly at night, which is now being led by Labra.
Cebu’s Finest
Meanwhile, Labra mentioned the importance of ensuring that police officers in the city are well-trained in using their firearms, which is why he suggested reintroducing the practice of providing bullets to every officer so they can train more effectively.
Labra said the Cebu City government had a policy in the past that police officers could not receive their allowances unless they were proficient in handling their firearms.
Labra expressed his desire to reestablish recognition for ‘Cebu’s Finest’ — police officers who have consistently won championships in shooting competitions nationwide.
“We should really bring back activities for the PNP assigned here in Cebu so they can practice using firearms. They need to train to become more proficient,” Labra said.
The Cebu City government has allocated funds for this initiative to further enhance the capabilities and equipment of the police force. / AYB