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PNP ‘Bayanihan Fund Challenge’ to raise P200-M for COVID-19 effort


The Philippine National Police launched a Bayanihan Fund Challenge to aid the national government in its effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the nation's top cop said on Tuesday.

In his public address, PNP chief Police General Archie Francisco Gamboa said the police organization aimed to raise at least P200 million from the pockets of police officers to augment the government's social amelioration program.

"We can afford to do this, now that we have already secured the means for our own personnel. [The] Team PNP Bayanihan Fund Challenge aims to raise over P200 million from individual voluntary contributions of PNP personnel in response to President Rodrigo Duterte's candid admission of government's extreme difficulty in providing the basic needs of the poorest of the poor in a prolonged crisis," Gamboa said.

The PNP chief reported that they had collected P34 million in cash and pledges as of April 14.

Gamboa added that the project would not deduct the donation from the salaries of PNP personnel, noting that the contributions were voluntary.

"I must emphasize that the Bayanihan Fund Challenge is strictly voluntary with no standard amount of contributions specified," he said.

"Men and women of PNP, I know we have more than enough to spare for the government and our people in their dire need. I believe this is not too much for our country that can be asked of us to which we are willing to give."

Gamboa also mentioned that leaders in the command group and directorial staff, police regional offices, national support units, and all star-rank officers had  committed 50 percent of their basic salary for the month of May.

Gamboa urged other groups within the police organization to participate in the Bayanihan Fund Challenge. 

Gamboa said the Director for Comptrollership was the unit primarily responsible for the project, adding that the money would be turned over to the national treasury or to any of the appropriate agencies. — DVM, GMA News

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