Policemen with a K9 patrol the Calamba cemetery in this November 1, 2019 photo. This year, Cebu City residents can only visit their departed loved ones from September 26 to October 29 because the cemeteries will be closed from October 30 to November 3. | CDN Digital file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Around 300 policemen will be deployed to secure cemeteries in Cebu City starting September 26, 2020, which has been designated as the start of the day that residents in Cebu City can visit their departed loved ones until October 29, 2020.
This developed after Cebu City government has allowed residents to visit cemeteries before the Kalag-kalag or Undas celebrations or after these celebrations because these areas will be closed from October 30 to November 3 as part of the COVID-19 measures to prevent any spread of the virus.
Police Colonel Josefino Ligan, Cebu City Police Office chief, said in a press briefing on September 25, 2020, that the policemen and other force multipliers like the volunteers of Task Force Kasaligan would be assigned in both private and public cemeteries to ensure that health protocols were being observed and that there would only be 30 percent of individuals inside the cemeteries.
Ligan said that there would be about 10 cops in each identified cemetery and they would take turns manning the entrance and patrolling the cemetery.
“We are ready. We are allotting around 300 PNP personnel from manning the police assistance desk. It was mentioned before that dili lang siya police assistance desk but multi-agency center. Naa didto ang bombero, city disaster and of course taga barangay. So ready ta,” said Ligan.
(We are ready. We are allotting around 300 PNP personnel from manning the police assistance desk. It was mentioned before that it would not just be a police assistance desk but a multi-agency center. We will have there firemen, city disaster personnel and, of course, barangay representatives. So we are ready.)
Read: What to expect when visiting Cebu City cemeteries starting Sept. 26
He also said that there were at least 23 public and private cemeteries in Cebu City. These include the Calamba cemetery and the Cebu Chinese cemetery.
With the start of cemetery visits on Saturday, September 26, Ligan said that the police would be strict in allowing only those who were permitted to go outside their residence but they should follow the guidelines of the Inter Agency Task Force (IATF) which would mean that senior citizens and minors would not be allowed to go outside their homes and to visit cemeteries.
Ligan said the odd and even scheme of the quarantine passes would still be followed.
This would also mean that those who were not scheduled to go out on the specific day would not be allowed entry in the cemeteries.
Read: Ferro appeals to public: Maintain health protocols while visiting cemeteries
Police Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro, Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) director, encouraged the visiting public to properly observe the protocols for their own good./dbs