/PNA
MANILA — Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Albayalde on Monday led the turnover of almost 18,300 newly-procured police equipment worth PHP694 million to further boost the police’s operational capability and visibility.
“The acquisition of police basic equipment intensifies the operational readiness and police visibility of the PNP towards achieving a more capable, effective and credible police force in line with the directive of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to accomplish the mission and functions of the organization,” Albayalde told reporters after the simple turn-over ceremony at PNP headquarters, Camp Crame in Quezon City.
Using the Capability Enhancement Program funds for 2017 and 2018 and contingency fund, the PNP acquired 11,245 bullet proof vests; 4,169 waistcoat vests; 133 high frequency/single side band manpacks; 700 rotary blade-propelled wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones; 20 mini buses; and 2,000 striker-fired Taurus TS9 pistols.
The PNP said the waistcoat vests, UAVs, bullet proof vests and manpacks will be given to Police Regional Offices (PRO) and National Support Units for their capability enhancement on internal security operations’ equipage while the pistols will be issued to the new PNP recruits and the mini buses will be distributed to PROs and to the PNP-Logistics Support Service (LSS) for general dispatch purposes.
Albayalde noted the importance of the provision of bullet proof vests, especially during anti-criminality and anti-illegal drugs operations.
Meanwhile, the embassy of the Republic of Korea donated 120 forensic kits to the PNP Crime Laboratory, Anti-Cyber Crime and kidnapping Group, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Women and Children’s Center and Korean Help Desks.
Korean ambassador to the Philippines, H.E Dong-man Hwa and Director General Park Hwa Jin of the Foreign Affairs Bureau of the Korean National Police personally handed over to Albayalde the forensic kits, which aim to improve the criminal investigation and security management capability of the PNP.
The donation is part of the note verbale between the Korean embassy and the Department of Foreign Affairs through the Korea International Cooperation Agency, granting the country over USD6 million worth of equipment.
The implementation of the project also includes the provision of equipment such as patrol cars and motorbikes, which were already turned over to the PNP in May 2018.
It includes 49 Hyundai Elantra and 81 Starex vans with PNP markings.
