LINGAYEN, Pangasinan, July 28 (PNA) -- Police Regional Dorector Orlando Mabutas on Tuesday turned over to Police Provincial Director Percival Barba 27 inflatable boats, or rubber boats, for use of the Pangasinan police in rescue and relief operations during calamities.
Mabutas, who was on his first command visit to the Pangasinan Provincial Office since assuming his post as Police Regional Director early July, said the rubber boats came from Camp Crame and were made available as part of the PNP Transformation Program.
The rubber boats will be distributed later to police stations, priority are those located in flood-prone cities and municipalities.
Mabutas said the arrival of the rubber boats is timely as Pangasinan province and the entire Ilocos Region are bracing for another flood because of the current rainy season.
He told newsmen later that rubber boats will also be given to La Union, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte. Pangasinan got the allocation first because it is the biggest province in the entire Ilocos Region.
With the rubber boats, he said, the police in Pangasinan and the entire Region 1 can now respond at a much faster pace to the call for help by people in distress during the flood.
Pangasinan used to depend on the help of Naval Forces Northern Luzon for rescue operations since there are only few rubber boats available in the province.
The Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) of Pangasinan and the City Disaster Coordinating Council of Dagupan are then the only areas in Pangasinan maintaining rubber boats.
But last year, then Rep. Jose de Venecia Jr. brought home five brand new rubber boats from Korea which he distributed to the city of Dagupan, San Jacinto, San Fabian and Manaoag.
While in Pangasinan, Chief Superintendent Mabutas pinned the "Medalya ng Papuri" to the chiefs of police of Tayug and Dagupan City and few of their men for meritorious accomplishments in arresting an armed suspect, as well as a suspected marijuana dealer, respectively.
Before visiting the Pangasinan Police Office, Mabutas paid a courtesy call on Governor Amado Espino Jr., who is himself a retired police colonel and who served at one time as police provincial director of Pangasinan and Police Regional Director of the Ilocos.
Mabutas earlier made available to the Pangasinan Police Office at least 53 Cal. 99 millimeter pistols as service firearms of the local police which was boosted later with an additional 51 shotguns.
Before this, statistics showed some 600 policemen in Pangasinan have no firearms. (PNA)
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