ILOILO City – As Western Visayas braces for the full onset of the rainy season, the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) has stepped up its disaster preparedness measures, emphasizing rapid deployment of trained personnel, coordination with local governments, and readiness of life-saving equipment.
In an interview, Police Lieutenant Colonel Arnel Solis, PRO-6 spokesperson, said the regional police force had already conducted a simultaneous inspection of their disaster response capabilities across all provincial offices to ensure full operational readiness in case of floods, landslides, earthquakes, or other natural calamities.
“If you recall, in the third week of May, we conducted a simultaneous showdown inspection of our disaster equipment together with our provincial offices,” said Solis. “The goal was to ensure that our assets are ready and usable in case of any emergency.”
Solis said the agency had already identified police personnel across the region who have undergone disaster response training and can be tapped immediately for search, rescue, and retrieval operations.
“When the situation dictates, it’s easier for us to identify and deploy trained personnel and use available assets effectively,” he added. “The primary role of the police during disasters is to maintain law and order, to ensure peace and safety. But that doesn’t mean we won’t get involved in rescue operations. If needed, we can and we will.”
He emphasized that each province in Western Visayas has designated officers prepared to respond, with municipal police units acting as first responders within their respective jurisdictions.
“Each municipality has its own police unit, and they are considered the frontliners for their respective areas. But since each LGU also has its own disaster response office, our police closely coordinate with them for a more effective and unified response,” Solis said.
PRO-6 also assured continued collaboration with the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Region 6 to maximize available manpower and logistics support during emergency relief and recovery efforts.
“Aside from keeping order, our responsibility is also to help preserve lives whenever possible. Our coordination with OCD-6 and local government units is continuous,” Solis stressed./PN
