Cops urged to donate to quake victims

FILE: EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE. A building of the Department of Public Works and Highways in Barangay Buhangin, Malita, Davao Occidental suffered damages following Tuesday’s (Oct. 29, 2019) magnitude 6.6 earthquake. The quake was the second to hit Mindanao since the deadly magnitude 6.3 quake that struck on October 16. (Photo courtesy of Allan Nawal)

MANILA — The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday encouraged all personnel, especially high- ranking officials, to give donations for earthquake victims in Mindanao.

“I’m encouraging everyone to donate some more for the earthquakes dun sa Mindanao particularly in Regions 10, 11 and 12,” PNP officer-in-charge, Lt. Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa said in a press briefing in Camp Crame.

“As the OIC of the PNP, I would like to encourage everybody to put up or to give their contribution. Maybe we can start at PHP10 each and I know kung magbigay tayo ng ganito (if we contribute), it would help a lot of our affected constituents. I’m sure you see their plight on TV news reports. They are having a hard time,” Gamboa said.

Gamboa, however, clarified that the donation of the PNP personnel would go to civilian victims and not to the policemen affected by the earthquake.

“The donations are only for the constituents. ‘Yung sa naapektuhan naming PNP personnel, kami na bahala (The PNP will take care of the assistance to our affected personnel),” he said.

Almost 100 PNP personnel were affected by the recent earthquakes that hit the regions of Northern Mindanao, Davao and Soccsksargen.

He said that the PNP is also checking police structures that were damaged due to the tremors.

“As a matter of fact, I required all the financial institutions to offer them puwede rin siguro yung (maybe the) zero interest loans especially for the repair of their houses and soft loans for them but the NHQ (National Headquarters) will be the one addressing that, yung mga biktimang mga pulis (for the affected cops),” Gamboa said.

Gamboa also said PNP units in quake-affected areas fielded 2,756 personnel for search, rescue and relief operations as well as in evacuation centers that are currently housing some 29,000 persons in the regions of Davao and Soccsksargen.

He added the CIDG field units and local PNP units in these regions are supporting the Department of Trade and Industry and local government units’ (LGUs) operations to strictly enforce a price freeze on basic commodities and essential goods in areas declared under state of calamity pursuant to Republic Act 7581 or the Price Act.

“The law provides stable prices within the next 60 days on canned sardines, processed milk, bottled water, locally manufactured instant noodles, coffee, detergent soap, bread, candles, salt, rice, corn, and cooking oil, fuel, Fresh pork, beef, poultry meat, fresh and dried fish and other marine products, fresh egg, fresh milk, fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, root crops and sugar,” Gamboa said.

Earlier, Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año assured that all local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (DRRMCs) in affected areas are “convened and operational.”

Año also instructed all LGUs in earthquake-affected areas in Mindanao to conduct an assessment on all structures.

Following the order of President Rodrigo Duterte, Año relayed to the LGUs affected by the numerous earthquakes in Mindanao to start checking the integrity of every establishment and structure.

Such action was needed for aftershocks might lead to the collapse of unsafe structures, Año said.

Three earthquakes hit parts of Mindanao in October.

On October 16, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Tulunan, North Cotabato around 7:37 p.m. at a depth of eight kilometers. On October 29, a magnitude 6.6 hit the southeastern part of Tulunan, North Cotabato around 9:04 a.m. again which reportedly caused damage to some of the structures in Mindanao.

On October 31, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Tulunan, Cotabato anew with a depth of two kilometers.