Collapse of law, order looms large

A JAIL guard and a policeman pin down three unidentified inmates of the Tacloban City jail who tried to escape amid the chaos that followed the landfall of Supertyphoon “Yolanda.” LITO TECSON/CEBU DAILY NEWS

TACLOBAN CITY—City jail inmates, worried about the plight of their families after Supertyphoon “Yolanda” struck, tried to escape on Sunday.

Guards of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) sought reinforcement from the Philippine Army after a riot broke out about 3 p.m., said Cpl. Mateo Bernate of the Alpha Company of the Army’s 19th Infantry Battalion.

“They staged a drama because they wanted to know the condition of their families,” said Bernate, one of the soldiers who responded to the call for reinforcement.

The riot happened after President Benigno Aquino III held a meeting with members of his Cabinet— Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla.

“They asked for help because the BJMP could not handle it,” said Bernate.

At least 10 inmates were apprehended and were brought back to jail.

Bursts of gunfire rang past 8 p.m. on Sunday as inmates attempted to stage another riot.

The city jail is beside the Tacloban City police office, which was undermanned. Of the more than 200 policemen in Tacloban, only 20 reported for duty.

Brig. Gen. Jet Velarmino, Task Force Yolanda head and 8th Infantry Division commander, said the Army’s 1st Scout Ranger Battalion and the 527th Engineer Battalion would be deployed here to help maintain law and order.

A total of 154 members of the Special Action Force were deployed to the downtown area to stop the looting of business establishments.

Velarmino said the priority was to clear the roads for the transport of relief goods. Retrieval of bodies was another priority since many were still on the streets. “It might spread disease,” Velarmino said.

In the meantime, looting continued here that even gun shops were not spared.

Two of the gun shops that were looted were the Ammo Shooter and Gun Club Store in downtown Tacloban.

Military escorts were provided volunteers bringing in relief goods amid reports that some residents are already armed.

Authorities also discouraged individuals from walking on the streets alone because they might be mobbed and robbed of their belongings.

There were reports that vehicles passing through the San Juanico Bridge, which connects Samar and Leyte islands, are being flagged down and robbed.

Lt. Gen. Roy Deveraturda, Armed Forces Central Command chief, said he, too, received the same reports but he  could not confirm these yet. With a report by Jhunnex Napallacan, Inquirer Visayas