Police officers in Mandaue City are swapping handcuffs for baking tools as part of a livelihood training program aimed at equipping them with practical skills they can use both in service and as an additional source of income.
Bread and Baking Training for Police Personnel
Twenty-five personnel from the Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) are undergoing an 18-day Bread and Baking Production training program in which they are learning to make bread, cakes and pastries. During their third day of training on Tuesday, April 19, 2026, the officers baked chocolate cakes and butter cookies in a hands-on session at the Opao Barangay Hall.
The initiative, supported by Mandaue City Lone District Rep. Emmarie “Lolypop” Ouano-Dizon, aims to provide police personnel with livelihood skills to help them become self-reliant and allow them to share these abilities with the community.
Practical Skills Beyond Law Enforcement
MCPO Director Col. Cirilo Acosta Jr. said the training is the first livelihood project launched for MCPO personnel to help officers gain practical skills outside of law enforcement. “This livelihood project was initiated by the Mandaue City Police Office to help our personnel acquire new skills such as bread and pastry making,” Acosta said.
He said the program could serve as an extra source of income for police officers while reducing food costs within police stations. “One of our goals is for the snacks served in police stations and during conferences to be prepared by our own personnel so we can ensure both cleanliness and quality,” he said.
Community Sharing and Outreach
Beyond benefiting the police force, Acosta said the trained personnel are expected to pass on what they learn to the communities they serve. “They will share these skills with the community to help improve livelihood opportunities in the areas where we serve,” he said.
Acosta also said graduates of the training may volunteer to prepare food for community outreach activities such as feeding programs in Mandaue City. The program comes at a time when many are facing financial difficulties, making alternative livelihood opportunities even more valuable for essential workers. “At this time, when the world is facing economic challenges, we believe this training will help us learn how to prepare our own food and become more self-sustaining,” Acosta said.
The training is conducted by TMJ Technology Skills Training Institute and Assessment Center Inc. Trainer Luis Gerunda said this is the first batch of police personnel to undergo the program.
Assessment and Certification
Gerunda said the participants are attending eight hours of training daily from April 14 to May 7 to cover the fundamentals of bread and pastry production. After completing 114 hours of training, they will undergo an assessment, and those who pass will receive a National Certificate II from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.
While the trainees in this batch are not receiving the P160 daily support allowance usually given to beneficiaries, Gerunda said the training and assessment costs are fully covered under the program. The MCPO said the initiative not only strengthens the skills of its personnel but also creates opportunities for officers to support their families and extend livelihood knowledge to the communities they serve.
