PNP Chief assures APEC cops of good food

CEBU, Philippines – It certainly won’t be a feast but the food alloted for the thousands of policemen, deployed to secure APEC and its delegates, will definitely be far from being a “kaning-baboy,” according to Philippine National Police Chief Director General Ricardo Marquez.

Marquez, who was in Iloilo City on Saturday, said among the concerns he looked into was the policemen’s food and quarters.

An auditing unit from the PNP national headquarters in Camp Crame is now here to check if the food served is of palatable standard. “We are making sure that the experience in Boracay (past APEC meeting) will no longer happen,” said Marquez.

Police Regional Office-6 Director, Chief Superintendent Bernardo Diaz, said that, although the fund for food has yet to be received by his command, a total of 28 caterers have been commissioned to take care of the food requirements of all policemen deployed to secure the APEC meetings.

Diaz had also prepared a nine-day menu, from which all caterers based the food they prepare. After nine 9 days, they could repeat the set of food choices, he said.

As the PNP focused on security and public safety, Marquez said it might have overlooked the food concerns of its personnel. It has been a challenge to feed thousands of policemen but the PNP had already devised ways to ensure that they will be provided with good food. “We have learned from past experiences,” he added.

It can be noted that the PNP’s taking the lead in security the APEC meetings in Boracay Island, Aklan on May 2015 was marred with numerous complains about the food and billeting for its men.

The leadership of retired Chief Superintendent Josephus Angan, then PRO-6 chief, has been under fire over complaints that the quality of food was beyond palatable, while others claimed that the already not-so-good food reached their post three hours late.

This has led the public to question the amount received by the PRO-6 from the APEC Organizing Committee. It was gathered that other agencies got P500 daily allowance per personnel, while others only got P450 per personnel, on top of the decent billeting provided to them.

Most policemen deployed during APEC ministerial meetings had to “sell” their mid-year bonus to usurers, lending companies, and loan sharks to help them get through their APEC duties, which ran for about three weeks (from May 5 to May 26). Some even had to pay a P15,000 per room on their three-week stay.