The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Wednesday said it has deployed more than 1,200 cops in Central Visayas, one of the regions severely affected by Typhoon Odette.
Despite the post-typhoon challenges encountered by police personnel in calamity-hit provinces, PNP chief, Gen. Dionardo Carlos, said the PNP has found ways to continue functioning to ensure public safety and security.
In Central Visayas, operations in the aftermath of Typhoon Odette may persist in the next four weeks, based on the assessment of the local government units.
The Police Regional Office (PRO-7) has deployed 1,211 PNP personnel in affected areas.
A total of 44,615 individuals were provided with assistance in 1,791 evacuation centers where 9,872 families have sought temporary shelter.
“The road to recovery may not be immediate. As long as things won’t return to normal, the situation may be unstable. So, we need to be extra vigilant. But, the PNP wasn’t spared by the typhoon, too,” Carlos said in a statement.
Currently, Carlos said Central Visayas still has interrupted mobile signals and weak internet connection.
Base radios are ineffective in police stations in far-flung towns while power supply is not fully restored yet. This situation, Carlos said, has dragged the delivery of work in public offices, including the PNP.
“This is a test of resilience and dedication. But I saw how our personnel worked very hard to survive the difficulties. The effect of this weather disturbance is inevitable but our police officers are trained to make do with what we have without sacrificing the quality of service,” Carlos said in recognition of the efforts of affected PNP personnel.
Carlos said the PRO-7 Tactical Operations Center, PNP communication lines and supply are operational for the monitoring of the ongoing post-disaster relief and rehabilitation initiatives in the region.
Meanwhile, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has also deployed 75 Regional Reactionary Standby Support Force (RSSF) to typhoon Odette affected areas for Security Safety and Response Operations.
The NCRPO Contingent consists of teams from the five police districts of NCRPO and the Regional Mobile Force Battalion (RMFB).
The five police districts covered by the NCRPO are Manila Police District (MPD), Quezon City Police District (QCPD), Northern Police District (NPD), Southern Police District (SPD), and Eastern Police District (EPD).
Brig. Gen. Celso Bael, Deputy Regional Director for Operations together with Col. Luis Maria Pascual, Chief, Regional Operations Division on Tuesday conducted accounting and briefing to the 75 RSSF at the NCRPO Grandstand.
Each police district has 11 RSSF to include their respective team leaders while 20 RSSF are from the RMFB. The contingent will be deployed to any typhoon-affected areas anytime.
Prior to their deployment, personnel from the Regional Medical and Dental Unit (RMDU) examined the health conditions of the members of the contingent team, to determine their fitness. This also included the administering of the Covid-19 vaccine booster and the conduct of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test.
NCRPO chief, Maj. Gen Vicente Danao Jr., said the contingent team is prepared to serve and augment the police forces that were devastated by Typhoon Odette that caused severe damage in the Visayas and several parts of Mindanao.
“Sa gitna ng paghahanda natin sa pagsalubong sa bagong taon kasama ang ating mga pamilya, bilang isang alagad ng batas, kailangan nating gampanan ang tawag ng tungkulin. Kailangan nating tulungan ang ating mga kababayan at mga kasamahan sa serbisyo na sinalanta ng nakaraang bagyo. Tayo ay magpapatuloy ng serbisyong TAMA: TApat, may tapang at MAlasakit hindi lang sa mga taga Metro Manila kundi sa sambayanang Plipino, ito man ay nasa loob o labas ng bansa (In the midst of our preparations for the New Year with our families, as a police officer, we need to fulfill the call of duty. We need to help our countrymen and colleagues who were devastated by the previous typhoon. We will continue to serve TAMA: Honest, courageous and caring not only for the people of Metro Manila but also for the Filipino people, whether inside or outside the country),” Danao said in a separate statement.
Source: Philippines News Agency
