Police deployment to start Oct. 30

Senior Insp. Noel Lamente (right) explains to former Cebu City police director Senior Supt. Ramon Melvin Buenafe how security cameras which they installed inside the Calamba Cemetery during the 2016 Kalag-kalag celebration work.
/CDN FILE PHOTO

Kalag-kalag 2017

The Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) will deploy a total of 3,263 policemen to secure public and private cemeteries in the region during the All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day celebration.

Police Superintendent Julian Entoma, chief of the Regional Operations Division (ROD), said the deployment of troops would start on October 30.
Entoma said in a press briefing on Monday that they will also be installing police assistance desks to cater to the different concerns of cemetery visitors.

He said that the bulk of their deployment, or around 900 policemen, will be assigned in Cebu City cemeteries while 266 will be deployed in Mandaue City cemeteries. Another 118 uniformed policemen will be assigned in Lapu-Lapu City cemeteries.

Police visibility will also be established in cemeteries in the countryside with the deployment of 718 personnel from the Cebu Provincial Police Office.

Entoma said they will also make sure that other cemeteries located in other provinces in the region will be equally as secured as those that are located in Cebu.

Deployment of policemen in the other provinces are as follows: Negros Oriental, 587; Bohol, 562; and Siquijor, 112.

Entoma said that Chief Supt. Jose Espino, PRO-7 director, has also given instructions for the police to tap multiplier forces like tanods to augment in their peace and order campaign.

But before the actual deployment of troops starts, Entoma said that Espino will be visiting places of convergence like terminals, seaports, airports and cemeteries to personally check on the security preparations in these areas.

The police director also intends to give out to travelers leaflets that would contain tips on how to achieve a safe travel and avoid falling victim to criminals.

In Mandaue City, the police and personnel of the city’s Bantay Mandaue Command Center and the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) are now on standby for deployment in the eight cemeteries in the city.

Felix Suico, head of the Mandaue City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MCDRRMO), said the command center will respond to emergency situations.

An ambulance will be stationed close to cemeteries for immediate use.

Eco wardens, on the other hand, will oversee the cleanliness of cemeteries and will be tasked to apprehend people who will be caught littering, and issue to them citation tickets.

Suico said the deployment of disaster personnel and Eco wardens is from October 31 to November 2.

To avoid getting caught in police checkpoints, Suico is also asking cemetery-goers to refrain from bringing bladed weapons, sound systems, firecrackers and alcoholic beverages among others.

“Atong panawagan sa katwhan nga magbantay lang gyud sa ilang kaugalingon aron dili sila ma biktima sa mga dautang elemento (We are asking the public to always be vigilant so that they will not fall prey to bad elements),” he said.

He said that policemen with K9s will roam cemeteries for random inspection of bags and areas of convergence.