PNP commends maritime officers who rescued ‘jumper’

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Police General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. praised regional maritime officers Wednesday for rescuing a 14-year-old student who attempted to jump from the Marcelo Fernan Bridge in Cebu.

Following the Tuesday afternoon rescue, Nartatez directed Police Regional Office 7 to coordinate with the Department of Education and the Department of Social Welfare and Development to provide counseling and social interventions for the Grade 8 student and her family.

“The PNP mandate goes beyond peace and order and law enforcement; it also comes with genuine police service and assistance at a time when any of our countrymen needs them the most,” Nartatez said.

Reports disclosed that the incident began around 1 p.m. Tuesday when Police Master Sgt. Ronnie M. Limpangog received an urgent report from Gerald Pedrera, a duty operator at the Metro Cebu CCTV Monitoring center, who spotted a minor student climbing the bridge’s guardrail.

Officers from the Regional Maritime Unit 7, led by Patrolman Eddie Anthony G. Corañes, deployed immediately to the bridge site and safely brought the student to safety before facilitating contact with her family.

Nartatez attributed the successful intervention to rapid response protocols, strategic officer deployment, and close real-time coordination with local CCTV monitoring personnel.

The PNP chief that emergency support and social coordination align with national policy directives from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla to extend public safety and welfare assistance across local communities.