DILG eyes ‘buy one, give one’ scheme with LGUs for police cars in NCR

DILG Sec. Jonvic Remulla. INQUIRER.net file photo / RYAN LEAGOGO

MANILA, Philippines — Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla proposed buying an additional police vehicle for every unit that a National Capital Region (NCR) local government procures.

The proposal is part of the DILG’s bid to improve police response times and came in a statement from the agency on Saturday, after Remulla attended the most recent meeting of the NCR Regional Peace and Order Council.

“What I am proposing is we go back-to-back. You buy one, we give you one,” Remulla said.

“There is a clear disparity. Metro Manila, with over 14 million people, has only 635 police vehicles. Cavite, with 4.5 million people, has 801. This has to be corrected,” he noted.

Further, the DILG chief said the department will be procuring more police motorcycles as well as smaller fire trucks to better access more densely populated areas.

READ: DILG to procure patrol vehicles to improve police response time

Remulla previously committed to procuring more police patrol vehicles at a command conference with the Philippine National Police (PNP) last June 13.

The commitment came amid a directive from PNP Chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III to ensure police respond to emergency calls and requests for assistance within five minutes. /mr