With the success of the deployment, Metro police chief Deputy Director General Reynaldo Velasco and bus operators agreed to reward officers who risk their lives to ensure the safety of the riding public.
"The incentives may come in the form of promotions to the next higher rank, cash rewards or insurance coverage. This is a pat on the back for doing their job well and as a form of recognition for their valuable contribution to the campaign against criminality," Velasco pointed out.
Director Ricardo de Leon, head of the directorate for community relations of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said that from Jan. 1 to Sept. 22 this year, only 14 bus rob incidents were recorded compared to 18 last year.
He attributed the drop to the overall effort of the PNP to neutralize all criminal groups operating in the country.
De Leon said the last bus robbery recorded was the foiled heist inside a Lucky 7 bus on Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City two weeks ago which resulted in the killing of two suspects and the arrest of another.
The fielding of bus detectives was initiated by Velasco in coordination with Claire de la Fuente, president of the Integrated Metro Bus Operators Association (IMBOA).
Under the scheme, plainclothes detectives are randomly deployed inside the buses and in crime-prone areas of Metro Manila.
Last Thursday, Velasco, De la Fuente and Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando awarded P25,000 to PO1 Cyril Dagusen, of Station 4 of the Central Police District in Novaliches, for playing key role in the foiling of the Lucky 7 bus robbery last Sept. 16.
Another bus detective, PO3 Romulo Ternate, was awarded a Medalya ng Sugatang Magiting and a package of financial assistance. Ternate was wounded during a shootout with the suspects.
Velasco said that the accomplishment of Dagusen and Ternate showed the effectiveness of bus detectives as a crime deterrent.
Velasco and de la Fuente also signed a memorandum of agreement (calling for holding of seminars involving bus company employees to educate them on how to get police assistance in case of robberies when there are no bus detectives aboard their vehicle.