The Philippine National Police (PNP) has yet to record any crimes in Cebu province after the magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck last Sept. 30.
‘One commendable thing is that of our people are really peace-loving Filipinos, especially in Cebu. Zero recorded focus crime. That’s in Cebu,’ acting PNP chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a press briefing in Camp Crame on Monday.
Focus crimes include murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft, and carjacking.
‘The actual rehab [is now putting] northern Cebu, the entire Cebu into normalcy,’ the acting PNP chief further claimed.
The Office of Civil Defense previously said it had ended search and rescue operations in the province after all missing persons were accounted for.
However, the PNP remained on ‘full alert,’ focusing on relief and rehabilitation. More than 2,500 police officers from Central Visayas and surrounding regions have been deployed.
‘We supported them with the necessary administrative support like human resources, our logistics and just so that it will be continuous, we gave them subsistence allowances,’ Nartatez said.
In a phone interview with reporters in Camp Crame later on Monday, Police Regional Office Central Visayas (PRO 7) Director Brig. Gen. Red Maranan said they were now only deploying 1,500 officers as authorities turned to recovery efforts.
‘We’re now at the relief and rehabilitation phase. We’re helping deliver relief goods being brought to our areas,’ Maranan said in Filipino.
He further said police were helping to set up tent cities for affected individuals, opening police assistance desks at the evacuation sites to maintain peace and order.
At least 72 have died and 559 others were injured as of 6 a.m. on Monday, according to the latest National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) situation report.
Meanwhile, according to Maranan, at least 193 PRO-7 personnel said the earthquake damaged their homes while more than 30 of the region’s police stations also sustained damage./apl /abc