PAYING RESPECTS. Philippine National Police chief, Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. (left), on Tuesday (Feb. 14, 2023) condoles the bereaved families of one of the seven police officers who died in a road accident in Misamis Oriental province. Aside from extending assistance, Azurin assures there will be policy changes to prevent similar accidents from happening again. (Photo courtesy of PCADG Northern Mindanao)
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr., on Tuesday personally extended his condolences to the bereaved families of seven police officers who died in a road accident in Misamis Oriental province.
During his visit to the wake of the families' residences, Azurin assured that measures are being put in place to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
"The safety and well-being of our personnel are of utmost importance and we will do everything in our power to ensure it," he said. Azurin also visited the injured police officers recuperating in different hospitals in this city, Misamis Oriental and Iligan City.
The accident occurred on Feb. 11 in Naawan town, Misamis Oriental province, which resulted in the deaths of seven PNP personnel, a retired police officer, and a civilian.
The Misamis Oriental police provincial office reported that the accident involved a Mitsubishi Fuso wing van truck and two Nissan commuter van vehicles.
Police investigation showed that the truck was going toward the city, while the two commuter vehicles were moving toward Iligan City in the opposite direction at the time of the incident.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation as of posting time, but initial reports indicated the front right wheel of the truck exploded, leading to the collision with the two commuter vans.
The two Nissan vehicles were loaded with PNP personnel who are students at the Regional Training Center -10 in this city and were traveling on a privileged pass.
The accident also injured 28 other police personnel. As of Tuesday, 16 were already discharged from the hospitals.
While here, Azurin directed the PNP director for comptrollership and the director of health services to provide necessary assistance to the victims and their families.
Also on Tuesday, Azurin and other key officials discussed preventive measures that would ensure the safety of police officers on duty and on training during his command visit in the Police Regional Office (PRO) 10 (Northern Mindanao).
Azurin met with PNP director for Human Resource and Doctrine Development (DHRDD) Maj. Gen. Jon A Arnaldo, Director for Human Resource and Doctrine Development (DHRDD) and National Police Training Institute director Maj. Gen. Ritchie Medardo Posadas and the command staff of PRO 10 to discuss and evaluate existing policies and procedures that govern the safety of police officers while on training or on duty.
He emphasized the importance of reviewing and updating these protocols to prevent similar accidents from happening in the future.
"We must ensure that our police officers are safe while they perform their duties. This means that we must identify the potential risks and hazards that they might face and implement measures to minimize them. We need to have comprehensive protocols and guidelines in place to protect our personnel," Azurin said in a statement.
He added the safety and well-being of our police officers are of utmost importance, and we must take all necessary measures to prevent accidents like this from happening again.
“We will work closely with our personnel to identify the causes of the accident and implement appropriate preventive measures,” Azurin added. (with Lloyd Caliwan/PNA)
