COPs of Cebu warned: Clean police stations or be relieved from your posts

CPPO chief, Police Colonel Engelbert Soriano warns chiefs of police in Cebu province to clean their police stations or they may be relieved from their posts. | CDN Digital file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The 50 chiefs of police (COPs) in Cebu province have been warned to clean their police stations in a month’s time or be relieved from their posts.

Police Colonel Engelbert Soriano, Cebu Police Provincial Police Office (CPPO) chief, gave this warning today, June 12, to police station commanders, who failed to comply with the intensified cleanliness policy of the Philippine National Police (PNP) director, Police General Guillermo Eleazar.

Soriano said he was giving all the station heads the whole month of June to comply with this directive.

 He gave the warning after he found some of the police stations in the province as “dirty” or not compliant with the PNP chief’s cleanliness policy.

He, however, is not discounting the possibility that these police stations may not have sufficient resources to come up with repairs, renovations or redesigning their police stations.

Apart from ensuring cleanliness in their areas, Soriano said that he was trying to somehow change the attitude of his personnel at work as well. 

“Ang number one na napansin ko eh yung mga pulis natin minsan parang nasa bahay lang, masyadong relax,” he said.

(The first thing that I noticed is that our policemen sometimes feel like they are just at home and feel so relaxed at the police station.)

“Pangalawa, kitang kita na nila na madumi, pero sanay sila sa madumi, di na nila napapansin. Kailangan talaga sila magkaroon ng awakening para e-inject nila sa system yung cleanliness talaga,” Soriano said. 

(The second thing is that they see the area as dirty and they ignore it. They have become used to the dirty work area. They do need  to be awakened so that they can inject in their the system cleanliness.)

Soriano said that they had been very stern in ensuring cleanliness in every station because this would show how capable police would be in sticking with their duties as law enforcers.

“Very basic kasi ito, if we are not capable of cleaning the four corners of our respective offices, how can we clear the discipline zones outside? Or how can we implement cleanliness outside? Kaya model na malinis ang office,”he added. 

(This is basic. If we are not capable of cleaning the four corners of our respective offices, (then) how can we clear the discipline zones outside? Or how can we implement the cleanliness outside? So a clean office is the model for this.)

Soriano further said that he would be giving all the chiefs of police or COPs in the province until the end of June to comply with the directives. 

He warned station heads that if they still would fail to comply with the policy, then they might be relieved from their posts. 

“Madaming gustong mag chief of police. I will definitely give a chance to those who are willing. But I am giving all the 50 COPs [chiefs of police] this month to react to the guidance of chief PNP,” he said.

(Many would want to be a chief of police. I will definitely give a chance to those who are willing. But I am giving all the 50 COPs [chiefs of police] this month to react to the guidance of chief PNP.)

“I will ask the placement board of the CPPO to decide if there is a need to replace the COPs,” Soriano said. 

He, however, clarified that they were not only focusing in just cleaning their offices as basis for relieving a police station chief because it would be unfair for the police chiefs, who had to be “multifaceted” in their jobs.

Soriano said chiefs of police or COPs these days had multiple functions and lots of responsibilities other than leading their own stations.

Soriano added that they were not only adhering to the intensified cleanliness policy of the chief PNP but also their own programs in the province such as their SUGBUsog program with the provincial government, and their accomplishments and operations against all kinds of criminalities in the province. 

“Kung magulo at madumi ang police both sa appearance and trabaho, affected din yung atmosphere ng probinsya,” Soriano added. 

(If it’s not peaceful and the police are dirty in their appearance and work, then the atmosphere in the province will be affected.)

/dbs

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