NCRPO to donate P3.5M to Taal victims

MANILA, Philippines — The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) will donate an estimated P3.5 million to victims of the eruption of Taal Volcano, its acting director Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas announced Friday.

According to Sinas, each of the 26,000 officers of the NCRPO, excluding senior officers, will donate P100 each, which is equivalent to their one-day combat incentive pay.

“In order to make it meaningful, we will donate one day of our combat pay,” he said in a press briefing.

Police officers receive a total of P3,000 worth of combat-duty pay per month, separate from their regular pay.

Senior officers with ranks starting from colonels meanwhile will donate P3,000 each, said Sinas.

Aside from the P100 donation for each personnel, each officers of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) will likewise slash P50 off their allowance from the Quezon City government to help victims of the calamity.

“We have our all-out support dahil maganda po talaga ang purpose (because the purpose is really good),” QCPD director  Brig. Gen. Ronnie Montejo said.

The QCPD has around 5,000 personnel.

According to Sinas, the donation is only voluntary and exempts the 514 uniformed and non-uniformed personnel affected by the Taal Volcano’s eruption. A total of 100 NCRPO personnel severely affected by the eruption were told to go back to their families in Calabarzon.

He added that NCRPO personnel, who helped in relief efforts in Batangas on Wednesday, will return to evacuation sites in the province on January 23. The NCRPO band and performers will also be in the province to entertain evacuees who continue to brave the fury of the calamity, said Sinas.

Meanwhile, Sinas revealed that Brig. Gen. Bernabe Balba, director of the Manila Police District, is also one of the victims of Taal Volcano eruption. He said the police official, whose hometown is Agoncillo, is still on duty at the MPD headquarters after helping evacuate his family.