PNP turns over P228.45m donation to DOF

May 6, 2020

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Wednesday officially turned over their P228.45 million contributions to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III.

The organization’s uniformed and non-uniformed personnel raised a total of P228,445,207.00 in donations under the #TeamPNP Bayanihan Fund Challenge  launched last April 15.

This exceeded their P200 million target.

In a ceremony held at the Department of Finance (DOF), Police General Archie Francisco Gamboa said aside from the donations of the PNP personnel, other organizations such as the PNPA Alumni Association and the Police Cavaliers Association Inc. contributed to the fund-raising effort.

“This started when Cabinet secretaries started to pledge to help the government by monetary contribution on the part of their salary, then followed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” Gamboa said.

“The PNP being 205,000 in strength so I said even if we contributed P1,000 each we can easily get 205 (million),” he said.

Gamboa said the voluntary contributions of the police organization “is a clear indication that the PNP is sympathetic to the fight of the government, especially now that it’s very difficult”.

“That’s why even if it is not too large we like to contribute on the part of the PNP to show also our sympathy to government,” he said.

“I’d like to thank the Philippine National Police--all its members--for the contribution, and of course, I’d like to thank also the Secretary of the Department of Finance for accommodating us in receiving this amount today,” Gamboa added.

For his part, Dominguez underscored the “heroic” act of the members of the PNP.

“The worst of times brings out the best in men,” Dominguez said.

“Beyond the call of duty, our police officers and our non-uniformed PNP personnel volunteered to donate a portion of their pay to help fund the government’s efforts against the contagion. This is more than commendable.  It is actually heroic,” he added.

Dominguez also cited the PNP’s tough job of working round the clock to enforce quarantine regulations and protect Filipinos from the contagion.

“The police organization accepted the risks faced by all frontliners in this battle against the pandemic. Many of our men in uniform were themselves infected in the line of duty. All throughout, the PNP delivered on their tasks very, very effectively,” he said.

Dominguez said the PNP donation, which will be turned over to the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr), will be used to help finance the government's four pillar strategy, particularly in providing economic relief to the poorest of the poor and other vulnerable groups, and in providing resources to the healthcare system and protecting medical frontliners.

This four-pillar strategy has a combined value so far of P1.49 trillion or about 8 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Ella Dionisio/DMS