Mandaue police cut their pay for young boy who dreams of becoming a cop

CEBU CITY, Philippines – When they found out 9-year-old Daniel Cabrera wanted to be a cop, policemen from the Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) made a promise. This payday, June 30, policemen of the MCPO will pass the hat for the young boy whose photo studying at a street corner went viral last week.

“I asked him why he wanted to be a policeman, and he said he likes to find missing things and he loves to locate his friends who are hiding,” said Supt. Julian Entoma, acting director of the MCPO.

It was the young Cabrera’s nightly vigil under a streetlamp along Subangdaku St. that caught the attention of medical student Joyce Torrefranca. Torrefranca was walking past a corner McDonald’s when she saw the small boy kneeling before a wooden bench, filling out answers in a schoolbook worksheet propped on the makeshift table. (READ: Kid studying on Cebu sidewalk inspires netizens)

 Cabrera was taken on a tour of the headquarters Monday morning, June 29, after the police were alerted about the Rappler story.  

“I let him take a seat on my chair and taught him how to salute. He was very happy,” said Entoma.

The boy from Mandaue

The third grader earlier explained that there was no electricity at home. His mother, a widow, was employed at the small eatery where the family makes its home at night. Maria Christina Espinosa earned P60 a day working as a helper. She and Daniel and his younger brother Gabriel all sleep surrounded by wooden benches, with little protection from either heat or cold. 

About 50 uniformed personnel, led by Entoma, have volunteered to contribute portions of their salary to aid the family. It was the same police unit who took Cabrera on his first trip to a shopping mall to buy a toy police car. Groceries were also donated to the family.  (READ: Can you help this kid who studies on Cebu sidewalk?)

“I think he is a very intelligent child, by the way he talks. I was told that he is also good in Science,” said the acting city police director. 

Officers have been assigned to visit the boy every month, to ensure his safety and check on his studies. – Rappler.com