Inside the Carreta Cemetery in Cebu City on Oct. 18, 2021, weeks before Kalag-Kalag 2021. CDN Digital file photo (Pegeen Maisie Sararaña)
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City government will set the time for cemetery visits during the observance of the Kalag-Kalag from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Cebu City Councilor Philip Zafra, chairperson of peace and order committee of the City Council, said that the time schedule for cemetery visits had already been approved by Mayor Michael Rama.
Zafra said that setting the allowable time for cemetery visits would be a way to secure the peace and order situation in the city especially since they would be expecting a crowd influx in cemeteries with the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, which had been in place in the last two years.
“We will not allow anybody to stay overnight inside the cemetery for security purposes. Likewise, alcoholic beverages, deadly weapons are not allowed inside,” he added.
For his part, Police Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla, deputy director for administration of the Cebu City Police Office, said that they would still have a coordination meeting this Wednesday for their final guidelines for Kalag-Kalag 2022.
He said that aside from their usual police deployment, their anti-criminality police personnel would also help in securing this annual observation of the Kalag-Kalag.
Cebu Province
For his part, Police Lieutenant Colonel Mark Gifter Sucalit, deputy director for operations of the Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO), said that they already directed the station commanders in Cebu province to coordinate with their respective local government units for the guidelines in their areas of jurisdiction.
Sucalit said that they had prepared more or less 900 police personnel ready for deployment in different areas in Cebu province.
Their deployment will cover areas of convergence such as terminals, ports, malls, major thoroughfares, among others.
Aside from that, the provincial police will also be tapping the assistance of over 2,000 force multipliers.
Reminders to Visitors
Police Brigadier General Roderick Augustus Alba, director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), said that it would better for anyone to visit the cemeteries days before or after the All Souls’ Day.
“Huwag magsabayan. Why not visit before or perhaps after that? So that we can avoid criminality. Yun po lang ang perspective ng PNP,” said Alba.
(Don’t go at the same time with the others. Why not visit before or perhaps after that? So that we can avoid criminality. That is just the perspective of the PNP.)
“Huwag po tayo magpatugtog ng malakas, let us respect other people. Huwag magdala ng inumin or pumasok na lasing,” he further said.
(Let us not play loud music, let us respect other people. Don’t bring liquor in the cemetery or enter the cemetery drunk.)
Police in Central Visayas will be aiming for a zero crime incidents in the region during annual observation of the Kalag-Kalag.
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