Capitol to shoulder P500k insurance for all provincial police

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia leads a flag-raising ceremony at the Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO) in this September 2019 photo. (Photo by Cebu Provincial Government)

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu provincial government will shoulder the insurance policy for all police personnel in Cebu province.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, in a press conference on Thursday, April 16, 2020, said the move is to show “appreciation” to the contribution of the police in enforcing the enhanced community quarantine protocols in the province.

At least 1,600 policemen from the Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO) and the local police in each town and city under the province are deployed for the enforcement of border checkpoints alone since the start of the ECQ on March 30.

Garcia said she recently learned that the policemen do not have an automatic coverage from GSIS even if they are government employees.

“Grabe kaayo ang sakripisyo busa alang sa pagpakita sa pagbalor sa probinsya ug appreciation sa province of Cebu sa ilang dakong tabang karon to enforce strict border control, we will be insuring through GSIS all of our PNP personnel under the CPPO,” Garcia said.

(They have sacrificed so much, so as a form of showing the province’s appreciaton to their huge contribution in enforcing border control, we will be insuring through GSIS all of our PNP personnel under the CPPO.)

The insurance coverage for the policemen will be up to P500,000 and will be charged under the funds of the Office of the Governor and the province’s budget for peace and order.

Even beyond the ECQ, Garcia said she is planning to include the funds for the police’s insurance in the annual budget of the province.

Aside from the policemen, Garcia said she is also looking into extending accident insurance for force multipliers who are also helping the police in the ECQ implementation. /rcg