Police Colonel Hector Grijaldo, Cebu City Police Office (CPPO) chief, is urging religious groups to refrain from holding activities that will gather a large crowd. |CDN Digital file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) is appealing to people, who are involved in religious groups and who have to hold activities for the Holy Week, to cancel these activities if it would involve gathering a crowd.
Police Colonel Hector Grijaldo Jr., CCPO chief, said they had already asked the churches and other religious organizations to instead hold activities related to the Holy Week to through other platforms.
Grijaldo said the appeal was made to comply with instructions of the Inter-Agency Task Force about the absolute ban on activities that would gather the public outside their homes amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis.
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“We don’t have instructions yet on the national headquarters because there are guidelines from IATF that absolutely states no convergence, no activities. It is necessary for us to stop making arrangements (gathering a crowd) in relation to the Holy Week,” said Grijaldo.
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Grijaldo said that to make sure this would be duly observed, the police would be strict with those who would be seen gathering even when it would be for the holy week because the guidelines had been clear on the banning of such activities.
He said they would still be apprehending those who would pursue to conduct gatherings as it would be against the provisions under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) being implemented and would also the defeat the strict implementation of social distancing.
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“We encourage the religious organizations just to do it on a teleconferencing lang or public viewing but no need or (it’s not) necessary na kailangan natin mag ipon ng mga tao,” said Grijaldo./dbs