The Philippine National Police (PNP) ordered all its police commanders in northern and central part of Luzon to coordinate with their respective local government units in order to maximize police assistance in the earthquake affected areas.
Police Maj. Gen. Valeriano De Leon, PNP director for Operations, said Regional Directors in Luzon were also tasked to mobilize standby forces in the conduct of search, rescue and relief operations especially in Ilocos Region and the Cordillera Administrative Region.
"We are currently coordinating with the NDRRMC (National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council) to determine how many personnel, what specific assets, and what locations require manpower for relief, rescue, and other disaster response," said De Leon.
The Office of Civil Defense said that the earthquake's epicenter was near Abra on Wednesday morning, but there were already reports of damage in the Ilocos Region, Cordillera, and other areas in northern Luzon.
He said the PNP is now awaiting instructions from the NDRRMC on how to mobilize PNP troops for the national government's response in the most severely affected areas.
De Leon said police personnel in the affected areas must coordinate with the local DRRMOs (Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices) to determine how our police personnel on the ground can effectively and efficiently assist in the overall response of both the local and national government.
According to De Leon, an order was also issued to inspect the state of PNP buildings and establishments in earthquake-affected areas.
"We also urged the police commanders to check on our personnel and their families' well-being. If there are PNP personnel who were affected, they should be given the opportunity to go home to take care of their families," said De Leon.