Police of the Cebu City Police Office are in full alert status starting today, April 1, 2022. | contributed photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City policemen will be on full alert status starting today, April 1, 2022, to ensure public safety not only during Holy Week but also for the entire summer and the upcoming elections.
Full alert status means that police must be ready at any time for deployment. They are also not allowed to take leaves.
“Starting karon hangtod na sa election day, cancel na ang atoang mga leaves and passes then full alert na sad ta. Atoa ni i-maximize [forces],” said Police Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla, deputy director for operations of CCPO.
(Starting today until election day, all leaves and passes are now canceled, we are also on full alert status. We will maximize our forces.)
Parilla also added that they will finalize their police deployment details pending their meeting with the representatives from the Archdiocese of Cebu.
“Naa naman tay series of meetings nga gihimo sa Archdiocese. As per their personnel, kung unsa tong mga naandan nga activity, atoa na ibalik karon. Just like sa nga Visita Iglesia, procession,” Parilla said.
(We already have a series of meetings with the Archdiocese. As per their personnel, all activities done during the pre-pandemic Holy Week will return. Just like the Visita Iglesia and processions.)
Parilla said that they anticipate a crowd influx to all the areas that will be visited by the public hence the need for augmented police visibility.
“Ang atoang katawhan sa Cebu, nga relihiyoso man kaayo and this is the first time again after two years since COVID,” he added.
(Cebuanos are known to be very religious and this is the first time that regular Lenten activities will be held again since the start of COVID.)
Parilla appeals to the public to always observe the health protocols, particularly the wearing of facemasks and social distancing.
For his part, Police Major Jonathan Dela Cerna, chief of the Guadalupe Police Station, said they will be requesting additional police personnel to be deployed in Good Shepherd in Banawa, Barangay Guadalupe, where devotees usually flock in droves during Holy Week. /rcg
READ:
Reliving Christ’s Passion at the Celestial Garden