The entrance to St. Benedict’s Monastery in Barangay Corte, Carmen town in northern Cebu. CDN Digital photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — With the easing of restrictions, at least 2, 000 Cebuanos are expected to visit the St. Benedict’s Monastery in Barangay Corte in Carmen town this Holy Week.
And to prepare for this, policemen in Carmen town already mapped out their security plan at the monastery to especially discourage the presence of criminals who may want to take advantage of the presence of a large crowd.
Police Major Eric Gingoyon, chief of Carmen Police Station, said at least two uniformed cops and four village watchers will be assigned to patrol the area on a daily basis starting on Palm Sunday, April 10, and until Easter Sunday, April 17.
Additional personnel may be deployed in the area depending on the crowd size.
Below is the Holy Week schedule of activities at the St. Benedict’s Monastery:
“We won’t be too complacent with the situation. Siguro mo hulam mi og metal detector, check lang gud ang bag, di namo ablihan. Check ra namo og naa bay mga sharp objects or unsa man gani for safety precaution,” Gingoyon said.
(We cannot afford to be complacent. We are planning to borrow a metal detector that we could use to check the bags of visitors without having to open these. We only needed to check if they have sharp objects inside as a safety precaution.)
“Possible nga naay theft pero other than that, gitan-aw namo ang previours years, wala man sad mi incident nga nahitabo. Pero di mi ganahan nga magkompyansa mi,” he added.
(The possibility of theft is not remote as per experience in the previous years, but other than that, no major incidents were reported. But we cannot also be complacent.)
Meanwhile, Gingoyon is reminding the public of the need to always observe minimum health protocols and practice self-discipline during their monastery visit.
“E maintain nila ang self discipline and respect nila ang observance nato sa pag celebrate sa Holy Week. At the same time sad, ang mga important nila nga variables, dili ibilin sa sakyanan kay lisod na, magkompyansa so ila dalhon. Be mindful sa ilang gamit,” he added.
(They should practice self-discipline and respect the observance of the Holy Week. At the same time, they should take care of their valuables and not leave these on their vehicles. They should be mindful of the things that they bring along.)
St. Benedict’s Monastery is located approximately 48 kilometers north of Cebu City. From the national highway in the Carmen town, visitors do a six-kilometer climb to the mountainous village of Corte.
The monastery is home to the Our Lady of Manaoag Rosary Center, Divine Mercy Center, and the Oratory of St. Pedro Calungsod.
READ: Revisiting St. Benedict’s Monastery in Carmen, Cebu
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