Celso turns over 15 digi-cams, multicab to city police office
Mayor Celso Lobregat Tuesday morning formally turns over to City Police OIC Director Sr. Supt. Amado Corpus the keys to the multi-cab vehicle for the use of the Police Traffic Division. Looking on are Councilors Nonong Guingona, Rudy Lim, City Hall Chief Executive Assistant Ller Natividad and some of the police sub-station commanders. (JOEY BAUTISTA)
Mayor Celso Lobregat yesterday morning turned over 15 digital cameras to the Zamboanga City Police Office designed to strengthen crime investigation and solution efficiency.
“These are part of our continuous support and assistance to the police”, Mayor Lobregat said prior to turning over the cameras to ZCPO officer-in-charge Sr. Supt. Amador Corpus.
Lobregat said each camera is supplied with 2.0-gigabyte memory card that can store at least 1,000 pictures, more than enough for the police officers, especially those assigned in the investigation and traffic sections, as they photograph the crime/traffic scenes. The cameras cost the city government P11, 900 each. “These (still) cameras are much better and useful to the police than the video cams (as proposed by certain sectors)”.
In response, Supt. Corpus thanked the city chief executive for the many assistance the city government has been extending to the local police, the latest of which are the digital cameras, the first under his watch.
He said one of the problems in the central police office when he assumed his post last month was the lack (or unavailability) of cameras which are very vital for documentation purposes of police operations.
According to Corpus, he was about to process papers requesting Camp Crame for the purchase of cameras for the ZCPO when Mayor Lobregat told him to forego with the request as the city government had already purchased cameras for the police.
“Thank you very much mayor. We badly need these cameras,” Corpus said during the simple turnover rites at City Hall conference room attended by Councilors Nonong Guingona and Rudy Lim, City Hall Chief Executive Assistant Ller Natividad and some police station chiefs.
Of the 15 cameras, 11 will be given to the different police stations from Vitali in the east coast to Ayala in the west coast. The criminal investigation, traffic, intelligence and operations divisions will receive one unit each.
At the same time, Mayor Lobregat also turned over a multi-cab worth P200,000 to Supt. Corpus. It will be given to the traffic section under Chief Insp. Richard Salangit.
Lobregat stressed the provision of cameras and a service vehicle to the police is a responsibility of the Philippine National Police (PNP) through the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). “But if we wait, I don’t think we will be given. So the city government takes the cudgel for the PNP,” he said.
In June, no less than DILG Secretary Ronaldo V. Puno and PNP Chief Jaime Verzosa graced the inauguration of different projects the city government has given to the local police and City Jail.
These included the turnover of 10 pump boats, rehabilitated ZCPO building, newly constructed police station building in Sinunuc and the two storey detention cell with roof deck and water tank at the Zamboanga City Reformatory Center. (Vic Larato)