A building damaged by a 6.5-magnitude earthquake is seen in Kidapawan town in the southern island of Mindanao on October 31, 2019. A powerful quake struck in the southern Philippines on October 31 sending people fleeing from homes, schools and malls, with initial reports of damage to some buildings. (Photo by EDWIN BADILLES / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) have ordered its respective units to beef up efforts to prevent terrorists and criminals from taking advantage of the aftermath of the magnitude 6.5 earthquake in Mindanao on Thursday.
“Let us continue to be vigilant to ensure that terrorists will not take advantage of the situation.” Lt. Gen. Felimon Santos Jr., commander of the Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom), said in a statement, addressing military units under Eastmincom.
Lt. Col. Ezra Balagtey, spokesperson of the military command, explained that terrorists may take advantage of the absence of some troops in specific areas as some soldiers would be relegated for disaster response.
“Even sa (in) movement, they might conduct atrocities against our responding troops sa mga (in) far-flung areas,” he told INQUIRER.net.
Santos had also raised the alert level of all units under Eastmincom and directed the activation of their respective Disaster Response Units or Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response Task Force.
He said he also directed different assets from the Philippine Navy, Air Force, Army, and military engineers to prepare for disaster response in affected areas.
Lt. Gen. Archie Gamboa, officer-in-charge of the Philippine National Police (PNP), on the other hand, has commanded all directors of police regional offices in Mindanao to mobilize their respective units to prevent the occurence of crimes and assist local authorities amid the aftermath of the tremor.
PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac warned that some might loot items from shops and other commercial establishments that have been damaged by the earthquake and have been temporarily vacated for fear of collapse when aftershocks happen.
Three persons have been confirmed dead while at least eight were hurt due to the earthquake as of posting time, according to authorities. /jpv
READ: Mindanao suffers heavy damage with fresh tremors; 3 dead, at least 8 injured