MANILA, Philippines — Police officers who have been relieved from their deployment in areas affected by the Taal Volcano eruption will undergo medical check-ups for possible lung ailments caused by the ashfall spewed by the volcano.
Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac on Thursday said the police officers deployed in Taal-affected areas in Batangas had been advised to visit the PNP General Hospital to get checked.
“Lahat ng members ng Reactionary Standby Support Force (RSSF) na na-deploy at na-pull out ay isasailalim sa check up sa ating PNP General Hospital upang tingnan kung mayroon sa kanilang mga nagkaroon ng lung ailment or anumang difficulty in breathing o nahirapan sa paghinga,” Banac said in a press conference in Camp Crame.
(All members of the RSSF who were deployed then pulled out will undergo check-ups in the PNP General Hospital to determine whether any of them contracted lung ailments or any difficulty in breathing.)
He assured that there is ample supply of medication should some of the police officers fall ill due to ailments they may have caught during their deployment in areas in Taal affected by the ashfall.
On Wednesday night, PNP chief Gen. Archie Gamboa ordered the withdrawal of some 2,000 cops in areas in Batangas affected by the Taal Volcano eruption, as directed by President Rodrigo Duterte.
READ: PNP recalls 2,000 cops from Taal-affected areas
However, local police units and personnel from the Police Regional Office IV-A’s (PRO IV-A) Reactionary Standby Support Force will remain in the area to “provide security and assist in all relief operations” in Batangas, with the coordination of local government.
READ: Duterte orders withdrawal of cops in Taal’s affected areas
Banac assured that the PNP’s PRO IV-A (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal Quezon) is ready to provide medical assistance to its officers should they become ill after being exposed to hazards following the Taal Volcano eruption.