NCPO: No VAWC cases reported at evacuation centers

By Paulo DS. Papa

The Naga City Police Office (NCPO) confirmed that no cases of violence against women and children (VAWC) were reported in evacuation centers during the onslaught of Super Typhoon Pepito. However, several theft incidents were recorded.

PSSG Roberto Aguillon, deputy spokesperson of the NCPO, stated in an interview that personnel from the Women and Children’s Protection Desk (WCPD) were assigned to man evacuation centers before the typhoon struck the region.

He explained that their deployment aimed to protect women and children from potential crimes, which are often perpetrated during emergencies.

“Men and women were not separated inside evacuation centers during the calamity,” Aguillon said in the local vernacular, emphasizing the importance of ensuring safety despite shared spaces.

Allen Reondanga, camp manager of the LGU-operated evacuation centers in Balatas New Development Area, confirmed that families housed at the PAGCOR Evacuation Center, Naga City Science High School, and Balatas National High School were able to secure personal spaces using modular tents provided by the city government.

Other centers, such as Sta. Cruz National High School, Sta. Cruz Event and Evacuation Center, and the JMR Coliseum, were also equipped with the same modular tents.

A total of 516 families, comprising 2,260 individuals, took refuge in these LGU-managed evacuation centers. This number excludes evacuees who stayed in schools under the Department of Education, establishments managed by barangay councils and private organizations, and churches.

Aguillon also reported an attempted theft at the Graceland branch along Elias Angeles Street in Barangay San Francisco. The suspects in the incident remain unidentified.

Meanwhile, a separate looting incident occurred at the Above Sea Level restaurant along Magsaysay Avenue in Concepcion Pequeña. CCTV footage captured three male suspects in the act.

The suspects have yet to be identified, and the establishment’s owner has not provided a detailed list of the stolen items, Aguillon said.