‘Limited fuel share no reason for poor police performance’
Limited fuel allocation for police units is not a reason for policemen to perform below par, Chief Supt. Samuel Pagdilao Jr., police regional director, said.
Just like the other police stations in the country, those in Western Visayas could do more with additional petrol, he said.
However, because fuel allocation remains the same even if the number of police cars increase each year, field commanders should be able to cope with what they have, Pagdilao added.
His statement was in response to criticisms hurled at the Iloilo City Police Office’s creation of the Mobile Patrol Group division.
Detractors claimed that the ICPO hierarchy should have considered its limited fuel allotment because the creation of the Mobile Patrol Group would entail increase in petrol use.
Pagdilao said the Police Regional Office 6 allocates 2,227.63 liters of XCS gasoline and 163.27 liters of diesel per month to ICPO, on top of the allocation provided by the Iloilo City government.
“When they receive (the supply) in bulk, the distribution will depend on the city police chief,” Pagdilao said.
“I’m sure it’s not enough considering the number of patrol cars the ICPO have. But of course, it’s no reason for them to be lax,” he added.
Senior Supt. Dennis Basngi, city police director, had brushed aside the criticisms on the creation of the Mobile Patrol Group, saying they would have to use the logistics of the existing patrol units.
He said the criticisms come from police personnel themselves who don’t want to go out of their comfort zones.
