Besides the monthly allowance they are getting from their respective organizations, the police officers, jail officers and fire fighters in Caloocan City also receive monthly allowance from the city government.
This grant of allowance to the uniformed personnel of the Philippine National Police (PNP), and the bureaus of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and Fire Protection (BFP), has started at the time of then-Mayor Reynaldo O. Malonzo, according to Rommel M. Dario, who have worked for three councilors of Caloocan City Council. Dario is a chief of staff of a neophyte councilor.
Malonzo served from 1995 to 2004. Enrico Echiverri continued the grant of monthly allowance to the members of the PNP, BFP and BJMP.
This monthly perks is being given by the Peace and Order Council (POC) chaired by the city mayor.
This year Mayor Oscar G. Malapitan granted P21.24 million as pointed out in the POC Resolution 02-2018, titled “A Resolution Prescribing the Grant of Financial Assistance to the Uniformed Personnel of the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.”
The POC “approved and prescribed” the P21.24-million allowance “in its regular meeting held on January 16.” The BusinessMirror has obtained a copy of the resolution.
The resolution was authored by councilors Ma. Milagros S. Mercado, Roberto R. Samson, Marc Merville T. Orozco and Carmelo F. Africa III.
It said the Sangguniang Panlungsod did not only adopt, approve and pass the POC resolution, but it authorized and directed Malapitan to get the P21,240,000 allowance from the POC’s P200-million allotted budget for 2018.
The same resolution pointed out that each police officer will get a P1,500 allowance, while the BJMP and BFP personnel will receive P1,000 each.
The BusinessMirror reported on March 22 that the P200-million POC budget was part of the P600-million peace and order total budget for 2018 that was approved and passed by the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
The Sanggunian authorized and allowed Malapitan to spend the P200-million POC budget in “lump sum.” This means the mayor has the discretion on how and where to spend the budget.
However, it should be noted that the legal practice in Sangguniang Panlungsod is that whatever the decision of the mayor on how and where he or she will spend the budget, it must have a corresponding ordinance or resolution in compliance with the requirements of the laws of the country.
But this reporter has noticed that the local legislative body did not specifically mention the legal basis of the allowance being given to the PNP, BFP and BJMP uniformed personnel assigned to the Caloocan City to prevent question of its legality.
According to Dario, there is nothing wrong with that since the Sangguniang Panlungsod’s decision was legal because it was based on the Local Government Code of 1991.
“All actions of the mayor, in behalf of the city [government], must be supported by an authorization of the Sangguniang Panlungsod, or in accordance with an ordinance,” Dario explained.
“That is based on the Republic Act 7160, or the Local Government Code of 1991,” he added.
