Marikina mayor pledges to boost local police

Marikina Mayor Maria Lourdes Fernando has promised to donate computers, motorbikes and radios in her pledge to improve the crime fighting capabilities of 16 police precincts in her city.

Fernando wants the police to take an active role in efforts to boost the local economy and convince investors to do business in Marikina.

"Mayor Fernando wants us to play a key role as the city is experiencing an economic boom with the sprouting call centers and malls like the being constructed SM Mall in the Riverbank," said Superintendent Sotero Ramos Jr., Marikina police chief.

Ramos, his staff and 16 precinct commanders paid their traditional New Year’s call on Fernando last Friday.

Fernando praised them for their overall performance last year and has vowed to help boost their capability by providing equipment to each precinct.

Ramos said Fernando’s pledge jibes with Metro police chief Director Reynaldo Varilla’s program calling for a dramatic reduction of street crime in Metro Manila.

"We can easily link up with our police precincts and other police units through our computers," said Ramos, noting that most robbers now are using motorbikes to easily elude police pursuers. "We can now ran after criminals with our motorbikes and the hand held radios would guide us to the directions escaping robbers are taking."

At present, the local police is getting monthly gasoline allocations from city hall.

Fernando is also shouldering the maintenance expenses of police vehicles, a P1,000 allowance each for 300 policemen and a P20,000 monthly public relations stipends.

"Mayor Fernando is seeing to it that our welfare are well taken care off and our equipments in harness at all times so we could deliver the goods for the maintenance of peace and order in the city," said Ramos. — Non Alquitran