Coming soon: Signs directing public to closest police station

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has teamed up with the Social Security System (SSS) for the nationwide installation of signs to direct people to the nearest police station.

The signing of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) and formal turnover of the directional signs were done at the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame on Thursday.

According to PNP Police-Community Relations Group director, Chief Supt. Rhodel Sermonia, the signs to be provided by the SSS will all look the same and will include the logo of the PNP and other emergency response agencies.

Previously, the look of the police signs depended on the company or the local government unit that sponsored it, he said.

He added that having the signs would “increase public awareness” of the PNP and also serve as an “on-ground reference for the public to make them feel secure, knowing that the police is nearby, ready to respond to incidents requiring police assistance.”

Shared concern

SSS president and CEO Emmanuel Dooc said the MOA showed that “both institutions [were] concerned with the protection of Filipinos.”

“The SSS as a social insurance and pension fund is concerned with the financial protection of its 36 million members and their beneficiaries [while] the PNP is charged with the physical protection of the Filipino citizenry,” he added.

“We are truly, mutually invested in ensuring safe and secure communities and providing an environment that is conducive to active living, productive work and profitable livelihood,” Dooc said.

According to him, the signs will “instill in the citizens’ consciousness that crime prevention is everybody’s concern.”