Senator Jinggoy Estrada wants to increase the rice allowance of policemen from 20 kilos to 50 kilos a month.
“Can we not increase it to 50 kilos per month? Are we capable of doing this?” Estrada inquired during the Senate deliberation of the proposed 2023 budget of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
“We’ll look into that at the proper time,” replied Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, Senate Finance Committee chairperson.
Earlier, Estrada questioned how much is the cost of this rice subsidy per month. “Is this allowance clearly indicated in the payslip of the PNP?” Estrada asked.
Angara said the 20 kilos amount to P650 per month per policeman.
A surprised Estrada then blurted out, “So this isn’t a sack of rice?” “How much is one cavan of rice? P2,000?”
He then inquired if the rice subsidy was being given monthly or quarterly. Estrada also asked on the total number of policemen throughout the country, how many are assigned in the field and how many are doing administrative work.
According to Angara, 180,000 of the 226,000 PNP police force are assigned outside.
He said this represents 85 percent of the PNP’s man power component. The amount of P1.662 billion, he said, is allocated for rice subsidy of the PNP, and equivalent to 20 kilos of rice per month in the form of financial assistance to the uniformed personnel of the PNP.
Angara said the giving of rice subsidy started during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
He said this is being sustained under the current government.