City cops to get P35T hospital, medicine aid

CEBU, Philippines - After having accused of withdrawing support to the police that earlier cost his deputation from the National Police Commission, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña did not only restore the monthly cash incentives to city policemen but also provided them with P35,000 worth of hospital and medicine assistance.

Osmeña agreed to give the additional annual benefits to all the members of the Cebu City Police Office during a meeting with Senior Superintendent Joel Doria and Councilor David Tumulak yesterday. The meeting was held at the residence of the mayor in Barangay Guadalupe.

 "One of the important highlights during the meeting with the mayor and chief, Colonel Doria, one is tanang mga police nga nag-serve sa Cebu City can now avail CHAMP free hospitalization and medicine program sa city," Tumulak said.

With CHAMP, a police officer can avail of P35,000 assistance in public hospitals which includes P25,000 for hospitalization, P5,000 for medicines and another P5,000 for laboratory procedures.

Doria said he personally requested the mayor to extend medical assistance to the police. He said he also wanted his men in the city police to receive the same benefits granted by the Pasay City government. Doria was chief of police in Pasay before his reassignment in CCPO.

"When I was in Pasay City Police Office, the Pasay City government provides medical assistance din po such as hospitalization assistance," he said in a text message sent to The FREEMAN.

He was reassigned following the incident in a concert in Pasay City last May where five persons died allegedly from drug overdose. Doria and Osmeña's meeting yesterday was the first since Napolcom restored the mayor's supervision and control over the police.

To recall, Napolcom stripped off Osmeña's power over police matters last August 10 after the mayor announced that he will no longer support police operations following the reassignment of then CCPO director Banjamin Santos without consultation.

Tumulak, deputy mayor on police matters, said that Osmeña and Doria now have "good relationship."

In fact, Tumulak said the mayor already gave the go signal to release the additional incentive allowance to the police officers in the city.

Under this year's budget, Tumulak said the city will give P4,000 monthly incentive allowance for police non-commission officers; P6,000 for police inspectors to police chief inspectors; while P8,000 each for the two deputy directors and P10,000 for Doria.

The city granted an increase of over P1,500 in the incentive allowance of the police effective last August.

"They (policemen) have to submit monthly accomplishment report to be attached kanang inig claim sa ilang monthly allowance," Tumulak said.

The new policemen, however, are not yet included in the incentive allowance.

"Katong bag-o, wala pa naapil sa plantilla. Dili pa kasulti pila ang bag-o. Bag-o nga nasud sa Cebu City nga wala naapil sa total budget for the police this year," he said.

As of now, there are at least 1,478 policemen assigned in Cebu City. Jean Marvette A. Demecillo and Michael Vencynth H. Braga (FREEMAN)