Lacson: Let cops use luxury cars for anti-crime operations

Luxury vehicles, like Porsche, for police operations? Why not?

Senator Panfilo Lacson floated this idea on Thursday when sought for comment on President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to give the smuggled Hummer vehicles to the police and the military instead of destroying them.

READ: Duterte wants PNP, AFP to use smuggled luxury Hummer trucks

“How I wish na instead na sinira, kasi ang estimate nasa mga P200 million plus, e gahol na gahol din ‘yung mga armed forces at saka PNP (Philippine National Police),” Lacson said at the Kapihan sa Senado.

(How I wish that instead of destroying them, because their estimate cost is around P200 million plus, and the armed forces and the PNP are really lacking vehicles.)

“’Yung Porsche nga pwedeng gamitin for surveillance, sayang. Dahil sinong mag aakala na yung Porsche umaali-aligid sa iyong hideout e police pala,” he said.

(The Porsche can be used for surveillance, what a waste. Because who would think a Porsche that’s hanging around at a hideout would be a police car?)

At present, the senator said, the police can be detected immediately based on the types of cars they use.

He cited as example a Mahindra and an Innova car that are commonly used by the police in their operations.

“Hindi ba mas magandang malito yung mga kalaban? Merong Porsche, Ferrari… e di malilito talaga ‘yung mga kalaban,” he said.

(Isn’t it better that the enemies would be confused? With a Porsche, Ferrari… they will really be confused.)

“So I just hope that the President reconsiders destroying all these ‘government properties’ after all,” he added.

Lacson said spending money for the gasoline of these expensive vehicles would be “cost effective,” noting that the government is also spending millions of pesos for intelligence operations. /je