By Calvin Cordova
CEBU CITY—There was no irregularity in the reduction of policemen’s hazard pay from P500 to P235 a day.
This was the assurance given by Police Brig. Gen. Albert Ignatius Ferro, chief of the Police Regional Office-Central Visayas (PRO 7).
Ferro explained to PRO 7 personnel that the daily P235-hazard pay was based on the available funds of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
“There was a fiscal directive that hazard pay must be given to personnel rendering duties as frontliners of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). The amount should not be above P500 but if there’s insufficient funds, the hazard may be lower than P500,” said Ferro.
“I had stints in the comptrollership and it is not easy to just source out funds for something that was not programmed. This coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID 19) is something that we did not ask for or we did not expect so we didn’t have funds for this,” Ferro added.
Ferro said Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Archie Gamboa was doing his best to find other resources so the full P500 per day hazard pay could be given.
“We are 210,000-strong organization so imagine the funds needed for the hazard pay. I cannot say if the whole P500 will be given in the future but our Chief PNP is trying to look for funds,” said Ferro.
Ferro said the higher PNP leadership was looking at tapping the funds of the combat duty pay to possibly grant the P500-hazard pay.
“There are no combat operations because of the current truce with the New People’s Army so they could reprogram or get some of the funds from the combat pay,” said Ferro.
Ferro assured that the PNP leadership was being fair, and funds are being “judiciously spent.”
“Everything is above-board. Let us not speculate and sow intrigues. This is not the time to be divided. Let us focus on the task at hand which is to help end the COVID 19 pandemic,” said Ferro.