MANILA, Philippines - Police officers have turned to Facebook to air their complaints about not receiving their allowance for helping secure Pope Francis’ visit.
According to posts on the Police Digest sa FB’s page, some police officers did not receive any food or money at all. The group has 104,138 members.
Chief Superintendent Wilben Mayor, spokesman of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said the P2,400 allowance for each police officer was actually intended for food for the eight-day deployment for the papal visit.
Although Pope Francis stayed in the country for only five days, Mayor said the police officers were deployed three days before the pontiff’s arrival to allow them to prepare and be briefed for their respective tasks.
Some commanders decided to distribute the money to police officers while others arranged for food to be delivered to the police officers, he said.
The PNP has yet to release the total amount it spent for the papal visit, but with P2,400 allocated for each of the 28,000 police officers for eight days, the PNP spent P67.2 million for meals alone.
Mayor said the PNP footed the bill for three meals a day for each police officer, their accommodations, gasoline and other miscellaneous expenses during the papal visit.
‘No mercy, compassion’
In his post, Rico Braker said police officials “have no mercy and compassion,” referring to the theme of Pope Francis’ visit.
Another netizen, Pipe Malunes Somcio, said Pasay City police officers deployed for the papal visit received P120.
“Be it clear to those concerned that the personnel on the ground are not after the amount but the honesty of the officials entrusted with (the money). By the lies and corruption done we have done wrong against the organization’s philosophy of justice, the core values of being maka-diyos (God-fearing), the vision of being a credible police service,” Somcio added.
There were also complaints about insufficient funds released to members of the Regional Police Safety Battalions in Calabarzon, Central Luzon and Ilocos, who were sent to Metro Manila for the papal visit.
El Terible posted that the Quezon City Police District, in his view, spent less than P700 for meals for each police officer.
Mark Anthony Ocfemia said he and others in the Southern Police District received nothing at all while Asusej Sotnassoled called on the PNP to investigate all units, particularly the SPD.
Solomon Son’s Lalong said police officers who were deployed for the Tacloban leg of the pope’s visit received only P700 and arrived only yesterday because they could not get rides back to their mother units.
Lalong said the police officers arrived in Tacloban, Leyte on a C-130 plane but were left hanging once their service was done.
Superintendent Evangeline Martos, chief of the Police Security and Protection Group’s budget and management section, said all personnel deployed for the papal visit are entitled to receive allowances.