The Philippine National Police (PNP) and leading oil company Petron Corporation strengthen their commitment in ensuring the safety and security of Filipinos with the expansion of the pioneering community safety program Lakbay Ligtas.

Throughout October, Lakbay Ligtas will transform nearly 700 Petron service stations located in key points in Metro Manila and provinces across the country into police outposts, enabling the PNP to immediately respond to emergencies through selected Petron service stations. This brings the total number of Petron stations with Lakbay Ligtas booths to 1,000.

Under this partnership between PNP and Petron, police officers will patrol participating stations and utilize Lakbay Ligtas outposts for handling complaints and referrals as well as for posting and distributing materials on crime prevention. The stations will also serve as assembly areas for police community-related activities. Petron station personnel, meanwhile, will receive basic training from the PNP on how to respond to emergencies reports made in and through Petron stations.

“We are fortunate to have the support of like-minded organizations from the private sector like Petron as we carry out our mission to serve and protect Filipinos nationwide. The continuing expansion of Lakbay Ligtas complements our efforts to fight criminality especially drug-related offenses by making communities safer and more secure,” PNP Chief Roland ‘Bato’ M. Dela Rosa said.

In just two years, Lakbay Ligtas has significantly grown its scope and reach, starting out with only 20 pilot Lakbay Ligtas booths in 2015. After much success, the program was launched nationwide the following year, covering 300 Petron service stations in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. For 2017, 680 new stations (331 in Luzon, 184 in Visayas, 165 in Mindanao) will serve as additional touch points to promote safer communities through increased police visibility and crime prevention awareness. Participating stations will be marked with a “Lakbay Ligtas Point” poster, which also includes details of the PNP’s 24/7 Police Quick Response Center hotline.

“The positive feedback we received from dealers and customers encouraged us to further expand the coverage of our Lakbay Ligtas program. Through our partnership with the PNP, which spans more than four decades, we are able to bring our shared advocacy of safety and security, and caring for our communities to more Filipinos,” said Petron’s VP for National Sales Archie Gupalor.

Lakbay Ligtas also supports the PNP and the Department of Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) Enhanced Managing Police Operations, which aims to stop the rise of criminality in Metro Manila through the extensive use of checkpoints, mobile and beat patrols and police operations.

There are 2,300 Petron stations nationwide – the widest network of service stations in the country. A program similar to Lakbay Ligtas also exists in Malaysia, underscoring Petron’s strong commitment to safety and nation-building.