Retired Manila cops receive bonus, gifts from mayor

It will be a merry Christmas for Manila police retirees after all.

Manila Mayor Lito Atienza assured some 1,400 Manila police retirees yesterday that Manila City Hall will start releasing their P5,000 bonus next week in time for Christmas Day.

Atienza announced the financial grant at the Christmas party of the Manila’s Finest Retirees Association Inc. (MFRAI) held at the Manila Police Academy building, as he extolled the services rendered by the retired policemen, some of whom are already in their twilight years.

The financial grant shall be taken from the P100,000 the Manila City Hall appropriated for each police retiree, given in quarterly installments of P5,000 since 2001. Last month, the retirees received their P5,000 for the last quarter of 2005.

"Akala ko wala na akong panggastos ngayong Pasko. Salamat kay meyor at meron ding pagsasaluhan ang aking pamilya sa Noche Buena," a teary eyed retiree in his 60s told The STAR.

Apart from the financial grant, Atienza also personally gave an unspecified amount to MFRAI as his own gift to the retirees.

MFRAI president Ret. Col. Felicisimo Lazaro profusely thanked Atienza for his humane gesture which elicited applause from his fellow retirees.

Lazaro said he was assured by Atienza that he would find means to continue the monetary benefits of the individual retirees even after their P100,000 grant has been exhausted.

At the same time, the mayor announced that the Manila city government is planning more benefits for its police retirees, including free college education at the City College of Manila and Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila for the policemen’s children or grandchildren.

A free burial site at the planned Columbarium at Manila’s North Cemetery is also in the offing, according to the city mayor.

Atienza said he has other plans, which can easily be attained if the police decentralization bill is enacted into law.

Atienza is one of several city mayors calling for the return of police control and supervision to local government.

The party ended with the mayor joining the happy retirees in the singing of Christmas carols.