Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Rommel Francisco Marbil dismissed reports that the rice allowances of the uniformed police personnel had been reallocated as food allowance for persons deprived of liberty.

“I just want to say there is a difference between a wise man and a fool. A wise man talks because he has something to say. A fool talks because he has to say something,” Marbil said.

“Fools come up with so many stories that destroy the organization. That is not right, that is not what we want. I’m not pleased with this fake news that disrupts us. That’s not really true,” he said.

In 2017, former president Rodrigo R. Duterte ordered the provision of an allowance equivalent to 20 kilos of rice per month to the police personnel.

In 2022, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. also issued an order authorizing the grant of one-time rice assistance for all government personnel, including police officers.

Marbil said the PNP cares for the welfare of the police force so they can efficiently do their duty to serve the people. He also vowed that the PNP would provide free assistance to embattled cops and ensure health cards for their medical needs.

The organization, he said, is looking forward to the donation from the Public Safety Mutual Benefit Fund Inc. to achieve these objectives.

“This is what we are trying to do. We are trying to do anything for our policemen so that our police officers would only think of one thing. We want to provide everything for our police officers but we only have one request. Do the best for our people, our clients,” Marbil stressed.