Cebu City to set aside P3.5M to buy bullets for cops’ shooting practice

POLICEMEN in Cebu City will be required to undergo monthly gun proficiency training starting next year.

Nagiel Bañacia, in charge of the Cebu City Hall’s peace and order program, said this was the instruction of Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña.

“Mayor Osmeña is really supporting the police. We have a program next year that each policeman assigned in Cebu City must shoot every month at least 50 rounds of ammunition. This will be a requirement for all Cebu City policemen,” he told reporters yesterday.

This is the reason why the executive department has included a P3.5 million budget proposal for ammunition, which was incorporated in the city’s support for the police and the military, under the city’s proposed P7.2 billion annual budget for 2017.

He said the city government is pushing for continuous training of the city’s policemen as part of the Osmeña administration’s effort to prioritize peace and order programs.

“We want to upgrade the capability of our policemen. We must have continuous capability training. This will be done in close coordination with Deputy Mayor (Councilor) Dave Tumulak,” Bañacia said.

He stressed that the program was not new as it was done when Osmeña was mayor for three terms until 2010.

City Hall will also be sponsoring other trainings for personnel of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said Bañacia.

In fact, CCPO director Senior Supt. Joel Doria wrote the mayor asking for P1.8 million to fund the training of CCPO’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team members.

“It is a 45 days training which aims to equip our personnel with enough skills and enhance their expertise as members of a highly specialized urban police unit,” read Doria’s letter.

Bañacia said they have included Doria’s request in the proposed P5 million budget for training for the city’s police under the city’s proposed peace and order program budget for next year.

He added they also planned to conduct trainings for CCPO’s Explosives Ordnance Division (EOD) if the proposed budget gets approved.

Also under the peace and order program budget is a P10 million motor vehicle outlay for CCPO’s SWAT and bomb squad.

This, he said, will be used to purchase a bomb carrier that the police can use in transporting and storing bombs that may be found or confiscated.

Allowances for police officials and personnel will also continue next year.

A few months ago, Osmeña was caught in a controversy with the police force for allegedly withdrawing support to the police, which prompted the National Police Commission (Napolcom) to strip the mayor of his authority over the police.

This was later on clarified that the allowances and other support will continue.

The Napolcom later on returned the mayor’s control over the city’s police.