The Philippine National Police has instructed regional and local commands to step up patrols along flooded thoroughfares, compromised bridges, and hazard zones as relentless southwest monsoon rains threaten public safety.
PNP Chief PGen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. ordered the deployment following infrastructure failures in Tarlac and severe gridlock along the North Luzon Expressway in San Simon, Pampanga.
The directive came after Tarlac’s Agana Bridge collapsed on Saturday, August 29. The structure was being utilized as a detour after the neighboring Aquino Bridge partially gave way the previous day due to heavy rains.
An SUV fell into the raging river during the collapse; while rescue teams saved one passenger, four individuals remain missing.
Nartatez confirmed that police units swiftly cordoned off the area, joined search-and-rescue efforts, and established coordination with local response teams.
“Our priority was to ensure public safety and help locate those who remain missing,” Nartatez said in a statement.
The PNP chief directed Tarlac personnel to maintain crowd control at the site while ordering police chiefs nationwide to partner with local governments and disaster units to monitor vulnerable infrastructure continuously.