Policemen in Cebu province distributed food packs to more than 500 families in Santander town on Saturday. | Photo courtesy of CPPO
CEBU CITY, Philippines — It’s still May but personnel of the Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO) played Santa Claus to more than 500 families in the mountain barangays of Bunlan and Cabutongan in Santander town in southern Cebu.
Around 40 uniformed policemen led by Police Colonel Roderick Mariano, the CCPO director, distributed food packs that included three kilos of rice, assorted canned goods, noodles, and powdered milk to families in the two depressed communities on Saturday, May 9, 2020.
“The areas were really far but when we arrived there sobrang nakakawala ng pagod (our exhaustion disappeared) especially after seeing the smiles of the people,” said Mariano.
Their visit on Saturday was part of the “Kapwa ko, Sagot ko” program of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Mariano said.
Mariano said that it is also one of the thrusts of his leadership of CPPO “to win the hearts of the community through the different efforts of the police other than the usual law enforcement.”
| Photo courtesy of CPPO
Saturday’s trip to Santander town was already the second wave of food packs distribution that CPPO did for the month. They earlier visited 900 families in Balamban and Tuburan towns in midwestern Cebu to also send help to families there.
Read: CPPO cops give relief goods to 900 families in Balamban, Tuburan
During their Santander visit, CPPO distributed a total of 520 food packs.
Mariano said that prior to the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine CPPO has already been visiting remote and depressed areas to hold medical missions and feeding programs.
He felt that they needed to do more because of his fear that the strict ECQ implementation will erode the community’s trust and confidence in the police.
Mariano said that the implementation of the PNP’s “Kapwa Ko, Sagot Ko” program is helping them reach out to the community. / dcb