READY FOR HOLIDAYS. Some of the policemen deployed by the Police Regional Office 8 to secure the region's major national highway during the holidays in this Dec. 9, 2023 photo. The Philippine National Police (PNP) is deploying at least 2,065 policemen in six provinces and two cities in Eastern Visayas to secure churches and other public places this holiday season. (Photo courtesy of Philippine National Police)
TACLOBAN CITY – The Philippine National Police (PNP) is deploying at least 2,065 policemen in six provinces and two cities in Eastern Visayas to secure churches and other public places this holiday season.
The deployment is part of the PNP’s "Ligtas Paskuhan 2023" security campaign, said Major Marjorie Manuta, spokesperson of the police regional office 8 (PRO-8).
The over 2,000 law enforcement personnel will be deployed beginning Dec. 16, in time for the start of the nine-day dawn masses, and they will continue to secure places of convergence until Jan. 6, 2024, or the Three Kings Day, marking the end of Christmas revelries.
Of the 2,065 personnel, 531 will be deployed in Leyte province, 236 in Southern Leyte, 77 in Biliran, 307 in Samar, 256 in Eastern Samar, 277 in Northern Samar, 189 in Ormoc City and 192 in Tacloban City.
They will be augmented by force multipliers and volunteers of advocacy groups and village watchmen.
“Their deployment in places such as churches, public plazas and markets might be extended beyond January 6 if there are untoward incidents, but we don’t expect that,” Manuta told the Philippine News Agency on Thursday.
The police will also intensify their campaign against the firecracker ban, ensuring that authorized stores are selling non-prohibited firecrackers.
Among the illegal firecrackers are watusi, piccolo, five star, pla-pla, lolo thunder, giant bawang, giant whistle bomb, super lolo, goodbye bading, goodbye Philippines, Bin Laden, mother rockets, goodbye Napoles, super Yolanda, boga and kabasi.
She said PNP personnel in the region would be augmented by force multipliers, including advocacy groups and village watchmen.
Meanwhile, PRO-8 earlier sent 608 policemen undergoing training to complement the existing personnel deployed to man checkpoints along the Maharlika Highway from Allen, Northern Samar, to San Ricardo, Southern Leyte.
The police regional office set up earlier this year Task Force Maharlika, which aims to prevent crime incidents using the route that links Eastern Visayas to Luzon and Mindanao.
The creation of the task force is an initiative of PRO-8 to secure the major highway after receiving reports that the highway is being used in the transshipment of various contrabands such as illegal drugs, loose firearms, and products from illegal logging. (PNA)
