Cavite has more police vehicles than NCR

Cavite has more police vehicles than Metro Manila despite having only a third of its population, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla revealed on Saturday, as he pushed for urgent reforms to boost police mobility in the capital region.

“There is a clear disparity. Metro Manila, with over 14 million people, has only 635 police vehicles. Cavite, with 4.5 million people, has 801. This has to be corrected,” Remulla pointed out during the Regional Peace and Order Council–National Capital Region (RPOC–NCR) meeting in Taguig.

To address the gap, Remulla proposed a ‘buy one, give one’ scheme to Metro Manila mayors, where the national government will match every police vehicle procured by local governments with an additional unit.

“What I am proposing is we go back-to-back. You buy one, we give you one,” Remulla told local chief executives.

He explained that the proposal supports President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to strengthen emergency and crisis response nationwide, especially in high-density urban areas like Metro Manila.

To further boost police mobility, Remulla said the DILG also plans to acquire more motorcycles suitable for police personnel, noting gaps in current driving skills.

“Fifty percent of our police force cannot drive, but 90 percent know how to ride a scooter. That is a gap we must address,” he said.

Beyond police vehicles, the DILG is set to procure mini fire trucks designed to navigate narrow streets in crowded communities, improving emergency response during fires and other disasters.

Remulla also led the turnover of 41 electric vehicles procured by the Valenzuela City government through the 2024 Local Government Support Fund, promoting greener mobility and more efficient law enforcement operations.

The DILG reaffirmed its commitment to equipping police and emergency responders with the necessary tools to protect communities and respond to crises more effectively.