POLICE officers in Mandaue City are swapping handcuffs for baking tools as part of a livelihood training program aimed at equipping them with practical skills they can use both in service and as an additional source of income.
Twenty-five personnel from the Mandaue City Police Office are currently undergoing an 18-day Bread and Baking Production training program, where they are learning to make bread, cakes, and pastries.
On the third day of training held Tuesday, April 21, 2026, the officers baked chocolate cakes and butter cookies during a hands-on session at the Opao Barangay Hall.
The initiative, supported by Emmarie “Lolypop” Ouano-Dizon, aims to provide police personnel with livelihood skills that can help them become more self-reliant while also allowing them to share these skills with the community.
According to Cirilo Acosta Jr., the training is the first livelihood project launched for MCPO personnel and is designed to help officers gain practical skills outside of police work.
“This livelihood project was initiated by the Mandaue City Police Office to help our personnel acquire new skills such as bread and pastry making,” Acosta said.
He added that the program could eventually serve as an extra source of income for police officers while also reducing costs within police stations.
“One of our goals is for the snacks served in police stations and during conferences to be prepared by our own personnel so we can ensure both cleanliness and quality,” he said.
Beyond benefiting the police force, Acosta said the trained personnel are expected to pass on what they learn to the communities they serve.
“They will share these skills with the community to help improve livelihood opportunities in the areas where we serve,” he said.
Acosta also said graduates of the training may volunteer to prepare food for community outreach activities such as feeding programs in Mandaue City.
The program comes at a time when many are facing financial difficulties, making livelihood opportunities even more valuable.
“At this time, when the world is facing economic challenges, we believe this training will help us learn how to prepare our own food and become more self-sustaining,” Acosta added.
The training is being conducted by TMJ Technology Skills Training Institute and Assessment Center Inc., whose trainer, Luis Gerunda, said this is the first batch of police personnel to undergo the program.
Gerunda said the participants are attending eight hours of training daily from April 14 to May 7, covering the fundamentals of bread and pastry production.
After completing 114 hours of training, they will undergo an assessment, and those who pass will receive a National Certificate II (NCII) from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.
While the trainees in this batch are not receiving the P160 daily support allowance usually given to beneficiaries, Gerunda said the training and assessment costs are fully covered under the program.
The MCPO said the initiative not only strengthens the skills of its personnel but also creates opportunities for officers to support their families and extend livelihood knowledge to the communities they serve. (ABC)