Cayetano Presents Study On How to Raise Police Salary

Davao City (PNA) — Senator Alan Peter Cayetano has presented a study to President-elect Rodrigo Duterte on how to raise the salaries of the members of the Philippine National Police (PNP), a campaign promise they wanted to achieve in their term.

Cayetano revealed this at the opening of the second leg of the coffee table book “The 36 Buttons” roadshow and exhibit organized by the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) and its alumni at Abreeza Mall late Sunday afternoon.

During the campaign, Duterte promised to double the salaries of the police given their huge responsibility to secure and protect the people.

It is also a way of discouraging police officers to involve in illegal activities and to get rid of corruption among members of the PNP.

With this development, Cayetano lauded the PNPA for coming up with the book, as he said this would “open the eyes” of the public on the hardwork in becoming a police officer.

The book features the lives of the trainees in the Academy, history, and developments in the Academy. The 336-page book is titled “The 36 Buttons” in honor of the 36 class of PNPA from 1978 to 2015.

The proceeds will go to the families of the members of Special Action Force (SAF) 44 killed in the armed encounter in Tukanalipao, Mamasapano last Jan. 25, 2015.

Chief Inspector Richie Yatar, the Public Information Officer of the PNPA who conceptualized the coffeetable book, said they have printed 3,000 copies and sold at PHP4,500 each.

Yatar said that of the seven ranking police officers of SAF 44 six of them are PNPA alumni.

“Kailangan din silang (pamilya) tulungan. Hindi madali magpaaral ng mga anak ng mga naiwan nilang pamilya (They need help. It is not easy to send the children by the (surviving) families),” Yatar said.

Aside from selling the books to the PNPA alumni, Yatar also eyes to sell the book to the public to draw interest from people to enter the police academy. “Konti lang nakakaalam na libre doon (Only few know it is free to study there),” he said. The PNPA campus is located in Silang, Cavite.

Yatar said the PNPA accepts 350 applicants but only 70 to 75 percent of them survive the rigorous training.

“Medyo malaki ang mortality (Mortality is quite high),” he added. (PNA) JMC/LILIAN C. MELLEJOR/LDP