PNP moves to stop looting; 200 cops lose homes

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine National Police has ordered its personnel to stop looting in areas badly affected by Typhoon “Pablo” even as it is organizing relief efforts for 200 cops who lost their homes in these places.

The police said that about 200 cops lost their homes in Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley due to Pablo. But this should not stop them from enforcing the law, a police spokesman added.

PNP spokesman Chief Supt Generoso Cerbo Jr. said PNP chief Nicanor Bartolome has ordered increased police visibility and tightened security in warehouses of relief goods, groceries and other sources of food to prevent looting and violence.

“We will implement the law in the affected areas,” Cerbo told reporters.

The PNP has received reports of looting in the town of Cateel, Davao Oriental.

The looting reportedly started due to the delay in distribution of relief goods as the roads were badly damaged by the typhoon. “If the issue is looting, we will secure all possible sources of food to maintain order, even in typhoon-hit areas…the instruction is very clear: to prevent the problem from escalating,” Cerbo said. – Rappler.com