PNP seeks gas fund for patrol cars

MANILA, Philippines - Even before the bidding for the procurement of 2,500 patrol cars could start, the Philippine National Police (PNP) is searching for funds to pay for the fuel the cars will consume, an official said yesterday.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government and the PNP plan to purchase the vehicles, worth P2.1 billion, to improve the police officers’ capability to fight crime. DILG Secretary Manuel Roxas II had met with car dealers to discuss the specifications for patrol cars the PNP needs.

Superintendent Alladin Collado, chief of the PNP Supply and Management Division of the Directorate for Logistics, said they are assessing the possible source of funds for the fuel.

“We know for a fact that additional vehicles mean additional fund for gasoline and maintenance,” said Collado in a briefing. “That is why we are looking for ways at this early so that we would not be scrambling for funds when that time comes.”

The PNP has been on a buying spree as the police force is also slated to procure assault rifles worth P1.5 billion as part of its the Capability Enhancement Program.

The PNP is also ready to distribute to police officers 12,000 of the 59,904 Generation 4 Glock 17 pistols after the firearm passed the qualification test by the technical working group (TWG).

The 59,904 pistols was procured by the PNP for P1.198 billion, the biggest procurement of firearms in the police force’s history.