ASSISTANCE DESK. Police personnel are deployed to places of convergence, such as this passenger bus terminal, during the Holy Week observance from March 25 to 31, 2024. Checkpoints, mobile and foot patrol, and police assistance desks are among the security measures undertaken during this time. (Photo courtesy of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office)
DUMAGUETE CITY – The Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO) said Thursday that 80 percent of its force has already been deployed for the Holy Week observance.
Lt. Stephen Polinar, spokesperson of NOPPO, said the provincial police have tightened their security measures in anticipation of large crowds during the observance of the Holy Week and because the New People’s Army will mark its 55th founding anniversary on Good Friday, March 29.
“Out of the roughly 1,500 police personnel in the province, 80 percent of them have been directed to report for duty on these days with no one allowed to go on leave,” Polinar said.
On top of the different police stations’ manpower being utilized to the maximum, NOPPO also has on standby quick reaction units, such as the Provincial Mobile Force Companies, for immediate deployment when necessary.
Polinar said foot and mobile patrols are deployed to places of convergence such as churches, the airport, sea ports, and bus terminals with police assistance desks also established in these areas.
Checkpoints are also set up in cooperation with the Highway Patrol Group, the Land Transportation Office, the Philippine Army, and other security forces to ensure public safety, he added.
Lt. Col. Evelio Ilanga, commanding officer of the Philippine Army’s 62nd Infantry Battalion, said that while the PNP takes the lead in law enforcement, the Philippine Army is on standby to provide support anytime to secure the communities, especially since the NPA will be marking its anniversary on Friday.
Ilanga said military operations continue, such as intelligence gathering and combat operations even during Holy Week, especially since the group will be celebrating its founding anniversary.
He added the military would not let their guard down as remnants of the weakened NPA’s Central Negros 1 guerilla front could still engage in violent activities to project presence. (PNA)
