LINGAYEN, Pangasinan—The Pangasinan police command has vowed increased presence in the streets with the new patrol jeeps distributed to 44 Pangasinan towns by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Senior Supt. Rolie Saltat, acting Pangasinan police commander, made this assurance as he thanked Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II for the Mahindra patrol jeeps delivered on Tuesday.
For his part, Chief Supt. Benjamin Hulipas, acting Ilocos region police commander, assured of heightened police presence, particularly in Pangasinan, as he cited that the new patrol jeeps will add to the existing police patrol cars and the recently launched bicycle patrols.
During the event, Liberal Party Rep. Jeffrey Ferrer of Negros Occidental, represented Roxas as the guest speaker during the distribution ceremony.
He said Roxas asked him to take his place in the delivery of the patrol jeeps to avoid issues on early political campaigns.
Meanwhile, Ferrer said the provision of the “tested” patrol jeeps in different towns is still part of the DILG mission to bring down crime rate in the country by focusing on the grassroots.
The DILG plans to deliver a total of 1,490 patrol jeeps in different towns in the country until October of this year, for improved police visibility and faster response.
In Pangasinan, each of the 44 towns, through their local chief executive and chief of police, received one jeep each.
At the same time, Ferrer, who chairs the House Committee on Public Order and Safety, said the House is now discussing the National Modernization Bill, authored by Nationalist People’s Coalition Rep. Leopoldo Bataoil of Pangasinan.
The bill seeks to provide better facilities, among others, to the National Police. The patrol jeeps are manufactured by Indian multinational automobile manufacturing corporation, Mahindra.
Interior Undersecretary Edwin R. Enrile said the jeeps cost P840,000 each.
“So far, we haven’t received any negative feedback on the performance of the patrol jeeps,” he said, citing that the delivery of the patrol jeeps started in March.
The DILG said all the patrol jeeps have undergone testing before delivery to assure their quality and performance even in mountainous areas, among other rough terrains. Pangasinan Gov. Amado Espino Jr., represented by Board Member Amado Espino III, expressed gratitude for the national government’s recognition of the needs of the provincial police.