Police, business sector in livelihood tie-up

The Metro Manila police command and the business sector yesterday firmed up an agreement to launch a breakthrough livelihood project for police dependents living in Bicutan, Taguig.

The agreement was part of a police welfare program launched a month ago by the new commander of the Metro Manila police force to augment the earnings of policemen in the metropolis as a deterrent to petty graft.

It was signed by National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) chief, Deputy director General Reynaldo Velasco, on behalf of the police.

Signing for the business community were: Philippines Inc. president Miguel Varela; Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. and Philexport board member Virgilio Sanchez.

Other signatories were Donald Dee, president of Employers Confederation of the Philippines and Fernando Jacinto, director of the Philippines Inc.

"We have started to fight graft and corruption in the ranks of the police in a new front, by giving their families additional sources of income," explained Gen. Velasco. "It proceeds on our firm belief that decent earnings keep most policemen honest."

Under the agreement, the business organizations will pool their resources to train a group of at least 200 working age family members of policemen in a police community in Bicutan in making exportable handicraft products.

The pilot project will be mainly bankrolled by the Philippines Inc.

Direct exporters under Philexport, on the other hand, will conduct the training and later become the buyers of the products made by the trainees for the export market.

PCCI, on the other hand, will provide other technical assistance to the new entrepreneurs in the areas of management, bookkeeping, sourcing of capital and other skills in running a small business enterprise under its SME development program.

The tie-up with the business community comes on the heels of a similar link made by Velasco with the National Food Authority (NFA) in the supply of cheap, government rice and sugar for sale in police cooperative stores and commissaries in Metro Manila.

The business leaders and Velasco also agreed that if the pilot project proves successful, it will be replicated in other police communities in Metro Manila. This will depend on the ability of direct exporters to absorb the items produced by the police officers’ families.

Velasco called on other groups to come out with other innovative programs that will help policemen do their jobs more efficiently as peace officers. – Non Alquitran