No looters in Provident Village

MANILA, Philippines - There’s no sign of looters at the Provident Village in Marikina City, one of the hardest hit by the onslaught of tropical storm Ondoy last Saturday, police said yesterday.

“We received no complaints of looting anymore. The presence of the police is now being felt not only by the Provident Village residents but also by the community,” said Metro police chief Director Roberto Rosales.

Rosales said there are at least 120 policemen deployed in two temporary outposts at the Provident Village, who patrol the streets on a 24-hour basis.

The Metro police chief deployed an additional 160 policemen in Marikina City and other flooded areas of Pasig City and Quezon City also to prevent looting, maintain peace and order and ensure the unhampered distribution of relief goods in evacuation centers.

The deployment of elements of the Regional Mobile Group (RMG) in Provident Village came in the wake of complaints that 19 houses were victimized by looters, who took away TV sets and other appliances of residents, who were mostly staying with their families in evacuation centers. According to Rosales, policemen, armed with heavy-duty flashlights are now conducting a 24-hour foot patrol at Provident Village, asking residents to call them up in their cellphones once their presence is needed.

Looters

“By doing so, we prevented looters from taking advantage of the situation because the residents can immediately call for help and they be arrested and thrown behind bars,’ he said.

In related developments, 59 of the 82 people killed by the fury of Ondoy were residents of Provident Village.

As of yesterday, government workers are conducting clearing operations at Provident Village, including two back hoe, operated by the MMDA and the Highway Patrol Group (HPG) of the Philippine National Police. “The back hoes are clearing the streets of stalled vehicles to pave the way for the entry of graders to clear the area of debris,” said Rosales.

The Metro police chief claimed that only a handful of residents of Provident Village have returned to their homes, as some of them are still clearing their residences of knee-deep mud, before moving in.

“The peace and order has returned. Some areas already have electricity but there is still the need for safe water to drink,” said Rosales.

He said Ayeng Yap of Euro- Med has coordinated with the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) for the distribution of at least 10 truckloads of safe drinking water to the affected residents.