ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider After saving Davaoeños, it's the turn of quake-hit cops to get relief aid, psychosocial support

After saving Davaoeños, it's the turn of quake-hit cops to get relief aid, psychosocial support

Published Oct 17, 2025 03:44 pm
A personnel of the Davao Police Regional Office (PRO-11) avails medical services offered by the Philippine National Police on Oct. 15, 2025 for those affected by the twin earthquakes that shook Davao Oriental on Oct. 10. (Photo: PRO-11)
A personnel of the Davao Police Regional Office (PRO-11) avails medical services offered by the Philippine National Police on Oct. 15, 2025 for those affected by the twin earthquakes that shook Davao Oriental on Oct. 10. (Photo: PRO-11)
The Philippine National Police (PNP) extended relief assistance to cops who were affected by the twin earthquakes that hit Davao Oriental last week.
A post-disaster recovery and rehabilitation program was spearheaded by the Davao Police Regional Office (PRO-11) for its personnel affected by the magnitude 7.4 and 6.8 earthquakes which occurred on Oct. 10.
“The PNP leadership fully supports the initiatives of PRO-11 under the stewardship of [Police Brig. Gen.] Joseph Arguelles. From the national headquarters, we have directed all regional offices to ensure the immediate welfare of our personnel and to extend assistance not only to our police force but also to the affected communities,” Nartatez said in a statement on Friday, Oct. 17.
Members of the PRO-11 were among the first to respond when the doublet quakes struck. They helped in search and rescue operations, and evacuated residents in the most vulnerable communities. They also assisted in the distribution of the initial salvo of disaster relief assistance to the quake victims.
Now, it’s their time to get help.
According to the PRO-11, financial aid was distributed to cops whose houses were partially or totally damaged due to the tremor. Grocery items were also handed out to affected police personnel and residents in Davao Oriental.
The PNP’s Regional Engineering Unit 11 (REU 11) also conducted a structural integrity assessment of police facilities to ensure the safety and functionality of PNP buildings in quake-hit areas.
Meanwhile, the Regional Medical and Dental Unit 11 (RMDU 11) and Camp Sgt. Quintin M. Merecido Hospital (CSQMMH) provided medical and mental health first aid services, distributed vitamins and medicines, and conducted neuro-psychiatric evaluations to support the psychological recovery of affected police personnel.
To strengthen the emotional and spiritual resilience of PNP members, life coaches were also deployed to conduct counseling sessions and uplift the morale of police personnel and their families.
“We are closely coordinating with PRO-11 to monitor the condition of our personnel and facilities, provide necessary logistical and financial support, and ensure that recovery and rehabilitation activities are sustained,” Nartatez said.
He highlighted that the PNP places strong emphasis on the mental health and well-being of its members, especially in times of calamities.
“We recognize that disasters affect not only physical safety but also the emotional and psychological state of our personnel. Through our medical and support units, we are providing counseling, neuro-psychiatric evaluations, and stress debriefings to help our personnel recover mentally and emotionally,” he added.
Meanwhile, Nartatez extended words of solidarity and encouragement to the affected police personnel.
“To our personnel and their families in Davao Oriental and nearby areas affected by the recent earthquake, the entire PNP organization stands with you. Your safety and recovery are our priority. Patuloy ninyong tandaan na hindi kayo nag-iisa. Ang buong PNP ay pamilya ninyo. Together, we will recover stronger and continue to serve the Filipino people,” he said.
Based on the record of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), a total of 276,237 families or 1,205,973 individuals were affected by the twin earthquakes in Manay, Davao Oriental.
Of the number, around 2,500 individuals were displaced by the tremors and they were either staying in 12 evacuation centers activated in the affected areas or in open spaces, afraid to go back to their homes due to fear of aftershocks.
Eight people were reported dead while 176 others were also injured.

Related Tags

PNP Davao Oriental earthquake relief aid Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. NDRRMC OCD PRO-11
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.