Police Colonel Engelbert Soriano | CDN Digital Photo by Pegeen Maisie Sararana
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Fifty police stations in Cebu province will soon have their own backyard gardens.
Police Colonel Engelbert Soriano, Cebu Police Provincial Office diretor, said that the 50 police stations were still on their ground preparations for the backyard gardens.
Soriano also said that they were doing this project in line with SUGBUsog or “Sugbuanong Busog, Luwas, Himsog, which is a vegetable gardening program of Cebu Province headed by Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and which was implemented at the height of the pandemic.
He said that he would inspect the 50 police stations on May 15 to check on the progress of these backyard gardens.
“On May 15, iikot ako para titingnan lahat yung nagawa na nilang mga backyard gardens. Hopefully, makakasabay kami sa mga rounds ni governor para ipakita rin sa kanya na we have aligned sa programs sa province. [Yung seedlings] either from LGU or the Department of Agriculture,” Soriano said.
(On May 15, we will check all the development of the backyard gardens. Hopefully, we will be able to join the rounds of the governor to let them know that we align our programs with the province. The seedlings will either come from the LGU or the Department of Agriculture.)
Apart from the 50 police stations, CPPO will also put up backyard gardens in their headquarters including the Provincial Mobile Force Company (PMFC) who are deployed in the mountain areas.
Soriano said that their adaptation to this program from the Capitol would benefit not only his personnel but also in strengthening the rapport of the law enforcers to the provincial government.
“Unang-una, this will somehow destress the frontliners na habang nag-gagarden, nakikita yung garden na tumutubo yung mga tanim. Pangalawa, it will also give us fresh harvest and food sa table. Pangatlo, it is our show of support to our honorable governor as kanyang effort para tulungan ang communities as Cebu province,” Soriano said.
(First, this will somehow destress our front liners. Whenever they do gardening, they will witness the growth of plants. Second, it will also give us fresh harvest and food at our tables. Third, it is our show of support to our honorable governor as his effort to help our communities in Cebu province.)
He said that they would also share their vegetables through their ‘Barangayanihan’ as they had foreseen this activity in the long run.
Last May 1, CPPO opened their food pantry and they provided food, face shields, and face masks to at least 300 residents living near their headquarters.
Soriano said that they would continue this initiative as long as they had the needed resources.
He said that the simultaneous opening of food pantries of the police was successful as health protocols were also observed.
“Last weekend kasi namigay tayo, baka this coming weekend makagenerate na tayo ng resources. Hopefully in the coming activities, mas marami tayong mabibigyan. Sa ngayon kasi, medyo limited pa siya,” Soriano added.
(Last weekend, we gave out goods. Perhaps, this coming weekend we will be able to generate resources. Hopefully, in the coming activities, we will be able to give to more people. For now, we can give only to a limited number of people.)
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