All policemen assigned in northern Cebu are also victims of supertyphoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan), Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) director Senior Supt. Noel Gillamac has permitted them to return to their homes in order to attend to their families’ needs.
With this depletion of manpower, Gillamac requested reinforcement from the Police Regional Office 7 (PRO) through the Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB) to help secure the north.
RPSB sent 30 personnel to Bogo City.
“Bisan atong kapulisan na biktima aning bagyo pero nitabang gihapon sila,” Gillamac said. (Our policemen are also victims themselves but they still managed to help.)
Foremost among their problems is the absence of communications facilities in each station. All of the lines were disconnected as of press time.
Although he allowed his men to go home, Gillamac assured the public that they all served the public when the supertyphoon hit the north.
“Low morale kaayo atong mga kapulisan nga affected sa bagyo (Our policemen affected by the supertyphoon have low morale),” he said.
“For now, all I can give to the local police is my moral support,” Gillamac said. He added that he will look for ways to help the local police force. /Jucell Marie P. Cuyos, Reporter