From the Mindanao Times (Oct 20): PNP may buy bell helicopters
THE PHILIPPINES National Police (PNP) will be procuring additional helicopters and body cameras by next year, according to PNP Director General Ronald dela Rosa.
Dela Rosa was the guest of honor and keynote speaker in yesterday’s launching of the joint PNP and Petron’s Lakbay Ligtas program, in which police outposts are installed in selected Petron stations to improve police visibility.
Dela Rosa told reporters covering the event that among those being considered for procurement are those manufactured by Bell Helicopter, an American aerospace manufacturer that has a wide list of products such as attack and rescue helicopters.
Dela Rosa was the guest of honor and keynote speaker in yesterday’s launching of the joint PNP and Petron’s Lakbay Ligtas program, in which police outposts are installed in selected Petron stations to improve police visibility.
Dela Rosa told reporters covering the event that among those being considered for procurement are those manufactured by Bell Helicopter, an American aerospace manufacturer that has a wide list of products such as attack and rescue helicopters.
Dela Rosa said the Congress has also inserted into the approved version of the 2018 General Appropriations Act the procurement of body cameras that would be used by operatives on field.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has earmarked at least P170 billion to the Department of Interior and Local Government.
According to the DBM in an earlier version of its budget message, the police budget will be used to “intensify the Philippine National Police’s law enforcement operations against illegal drugs and criminality.”
However, the talk in Congress is to redirect the funding to other purposes, which could fund the purchase of thousands of body cameras for the operations of the police.
The DBM added that the PNP will be hiring around 10,000 recruits to expand the roughly 195,000 police officers nationwide.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has earmarked at least P170 billion to the Department of Interior and Local Government.
According to the DBM in an earlier version of its budget message, the police budget will be used to “intensify the Philippine National Police’s law enforcement operations against illegal drugs and criminality.”
However, the talk in Congress is to redirect the funding to other purposes, which could fund the purchase of thousands of body cameras for the operations of the police.
The DBM added that the PNP will be hiring around 10,000 recruits to expand the roughly 195,000 police officers nationwide.
The government had initially provided a budget of P900 million for PNP’s Oplan Double Reloaded in its drug war.
However, President Rodrigo Duterte recently announced that the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency would now take the lead in anti-drug operations, thus dismantling the Oplan Double Reloaded.
Asked how it felt that the anti-drug operations were no longer being led by the police, Dela Rosa said the police could now focus on other illegal acts, such as the crackdown on the operations of riding in tandem crimes.
“We now have a monkey off our back,” Dela Rosa said of the drugs war no longer being spearheaded by the police.
However, President Rodrigo Duterte recently announced that the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency would now take the lead in anti-drug operations, thus dismantling the Oplan Double Reloaded.
Asked how it felt that the anti-drug operations were no longer being led by the police, Dela Rosa said the police could now focus on other illegal acts, such as the crackdown on the operations of riding in tandem crimes.
“We now have a monkey off our back,” Dela Rosa said of the drugs war no longer being spearheaded by the police.
