TACLOBAN CITY – Police personnel from Eastern Visayas have been mobilized to augment disaster response operations in Cebu following the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that rocked the province and nearby regions on September 30, 2025, leaving casualties, damaged infrastructure, and disrupted services in its wake.
On Thursday, October 2, the Police Regional Office 8 (PRO-8), under Regional Director PB/Gen, Jason Capoy, joined the inter-agency send-off ceremony of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) VIII’s Regional Incident Management Team (RIMT) and other responders at the Headquarters Tactical Operations Group 8 (HTOG-8) of the Philippine Air Force in San Jose, Tacloban City.
From PRO-8, 22 personnel were dispatched during the ceremony, consisting of 17 security personnel, one emergency management officer, and four medical team members. This brings to 40 the total number of PRO-8 responders sent to Cebu, including the 18 personnel deployed on October 1.
Their mission includes assisting local units in maintaining public safety and restoring essential services.
The send-off also gathered representatives from partner agencies, among them the 8th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, Office of Civil Defense Region 8, Bureau of Fire Protection Regional Office 8, Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office VIII, Department of Information and Communications Technology 8, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government Region 8.
Capoy lauded the coordinated response, emphasizing that the joint deployment reflects the government’s “unity and shared responsibility in responding to disasters.” He underscored that the police’s involvement is not only in law enforcement but also in humanitarian work, aimed at helping Cebu communities recover from the disaster’s impact.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA /(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
