Admirable gesture
Despite all the flak that the Philippine National Police (PNP) has been receiving since the spate of deaths involving minors in the Duterte administration’s war against illegal drugs, the organization still needs and deserves public support. Don’t get me wrong. There are men and women in blue out there who deserve to be on the receiving end of a high-powered assault rifle. Their shenanigans continue to undermine Duterte’s flagship campaign to wipe out the drug menace.
Earlier in the year, the President was forced to seek the military’s assistance in cleansing the organization of rogue cops.
But at the end of the day, we, the public, have no choice but to place our trust in the force. And no, I’m not talking about “Star Wars.”
We have to constantly remind ourselves that they are there “to serve and protect” us. And in return, we need to show them that we deserve serving and protecting. We cannot and we must not take their work for granted. After all, they’re putting their lives on the line for us every day.
With that said, I was glad to find out that active members of the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) and their dependents will now be able to avail themselves of discounts from one of the leading local universities and its affiliate hospitals.
Last Monday, Candice Gotianuy, on behalf of the University of Cebu (UC), the University of Cebu-Medical Center (UCMed) and St. Vincent General Hospital, signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the CPPO, which was represented by the Provincial Advisory Council, for this purpose.
“I think, sometimes, the police are underappreciated,” Gotianuy, UC chancellor, told SunStar Cebu’s Johanna O. Bajenting.
Let’s recap what active provincial cops and their dependents can expect under this new arrangement:
Not only will they get a 10-percent discount for specific services at the two hospitals, they will also get a 10-percent discount on tuition for UC’s undergraduate programs, while active officers will get a 30-percent discount on tuition for the school’s graduate programs.
The agreement will also grant full scholarships to dependents of police personnel killed in the line of duty.
The CPPO, in a press release, said “the MOA was made in recognition of the importance of giving privileges to PNP members and their dependents, the commitment to give quality education, alleviated quality of life and easy access to affordable and decent hospital care.”
Obviously, the CPPO is well aware of the corruption among police ranks. Perhaps these extra privileges will dissuade others from dirtying their hands.