Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda, Jr. has ordered PNP regional units to strengthen efforts to combat illegal mining and logging operations within their designated areas of jurisdiction.
In a press conference on Monday, Acorda said that this order came after the landslide in Maco, Davao de Oro, where 98 bodies and body parts were recovered while 8 remain missing.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that 63 evacuation centers in Mindanao accommodated 14,851 individuals or 4,007 families as of Sunday.
Acorda added that his directive serves not only to avert such incidents but also as the police force’s contribution to addressing the challenges posed by El Niño.
According to the police chief, he has discussed running after illegal mining and logging activities with the Director for Operations of the PNP as an attempt to help mitigate the El Niño problem in the Philippines.
The Department of Agriculture had earlier stated that the impact of El Niño resulted in an estimated Php 357.4 million in damages to the agricultural sector, affecting 41 provinces in the country.
