Half of CPPO HQ's funding not released?

CEBU, Philippines - Acting provincial police director Patrocinio Comendador disclosed that more than half of the funds intended for the new Cebu Provincial Police Office headquarters were not released by the national police headquarters.

Comendador said he has not seen the documents yet but the amount is P11 million and not P10 million as earlier reported.

Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia wants an accounting of how the Philippine National Police spent the funds originally allocated for the construction of the new CPPO building.

The governor suggested to Comendador to trace where the money went after the Capitol shouldered the construction of the building in a province-owned property in Sudlon, Lahug.

Garcia refused to donate the lot as requested by the PNP and instead asked that the funds be used for the police equipment, furniture and fixtures, mobility and other logistics for the provincial police.

The Province of Cebu and the PNP during the administration of Police Director General Oscar Calderon then entered into a memorandum of agreement on the usufruct of the provincial property.

During the media forum Tapok-Tapok sa NS Royal Pensione last Friday, Comendador said the successor of Calderon no longer honor the agreement and the national headquarters did not release the remaining funds.

Comendador estimated at least P4.5 million out of the P11 million were released and used at the CPPO office although he still has to check the documents.

Garcia wants Comendador to share the MOA with Police Regional Office-7 Director Ager Ontog.

Garcia is set to meet Ontog and Comendador to define each responsibility stipulated in the agreement such as the payment of electricity bills.

On the first day Comendador assumed as acting provincial police director, the electricity of CPPO was cut off for failure to pay the billings for over a year.

The non-payment of the bill was first blamed to the provincial government until it was found out that the PNP was the one paying the previous bills. — Gregg M. Rubio/WAB (THE FREEMAN)