CCPO LAMENTS LACK OF CH SUPPORT

A Cebu City Hall official denies that the City Government is sitting on the police’s request, saying it’s the police chief who did not want to accept the handheld radios yet.

Nothing but promises.

This was what Supt. Artemio Ricabo, Cebu City Police Office’s (CCPO) deputy city director for administration, said about their pending requests for hand-held radio units and other equipment from the Cebu City Government.

“Di na lang ta mu-asa anang support. Trabaho na lang ta kutob sa atong mahimo,” Ricabo said.

He said there were requests for P2 million worth of furniture and fixtures for the new building of the CCPO headquarters that were already approved but there were no funds released for it.

“The requests were approved but they were never implemented,” he said.

Ricabo also lamented the “very limited” fuel allocation for the police’s patrol cars and other vehicles, saying it doesn’t last until the end of the month.

Even the funds of the seminar for the Explosives Ordnance Reconnaissance Agent (EORA) Course for the police has yet to be released, Ricabo said.

“It’s long overdue, we already lost interest… If the City can extend support, good, but we will not expect anything. If there’s none, we will just work with whatever we have,” he added.

He, however, clarified that although lacking, the CCPO continues to get support from the City.

But in a separate interview, a Cebu City Hall official denied that the City is sitting on CCPO’s requests for equipment.

“Gilihok na sa City. It’s (CCPO Director Senior Supt. Royina) Col. Garma herself who told us to put it on hold because ilang kuhaon ang specifications sa handheld radio na compatible sa Crame para daw ma-centralize. Sad to say, we could not put it on hold because there’s already a purchase order,” the City’s peace and order program head, Kevin Chister Paz, said.

He explained that if the City buys another set with different specifications, they will have to hold another bidding for it.

“As of now, nadeliver na ang radio, naa na sa atoa karun. Wala lang nato gihatag kay dili man mudawat si Garma because of that compatibility issues,” he added.

Because of this, the 42 handheld radios and one base radio unit will be used instead by personnel of the peace and order program, as instructed by Mayor Tomas Osmeña.

Paz clarified, though, that the City already distributed 60 handheld radio units last January to Police Stations 2, 10 and 11.

“I will just have to clarify this new issue with chief Garma during our next peace and order council meeting to avoid conflict,” he said.