Police will intensify their visibility near Cebu City schools during the opening of public school classes on August 29. | CDN Digital photo / Emmariel Ares
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Policemen in Cebu City are urging parents to think of ways that will help ensure the safety of their children when public school classes open on August 29.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Janette Rafter, Deputy director for operations of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said that an act as simple as the wearing of name tags that include the contact number of their parents would mean a lot.
Rafter said that parents should also discourage their children from bringing gadgets and other valuables to school for their safety.
Bringing of gadgets and valuables would most likely attract the attention of criminals. They also risk losing their valuables, she said.
“Let us always orient sa atong mga anak on the safety precautions and security measures gyud. Ato gyud nang i-instill sa ilaha gyud pirmi for example ang mga cellphone nga dili magpataka-taka og gamit. Maghuwat sa ginikianan gyud nga kuhaon diha sa mga tunghaan,” Rafter said.
Meanwhile, Rafter said that their security preparations are already in place for the opening of classes next week.
“It is a periodic requirement man nato to establish mga police visibility sa mga eskwelahan nato especially karong [August] 29 nga murag tibuok na gyud klase mag-abri, to include all other public schools,” she said.
She said that police assistance centers will be established in public schools. Police deployment will be done even for night classes.
“We will also give priority sa gabii pud considering naa pay, dili pa kaayo hayag ang uban nga mga palibot sa mga eskwelahan,” Rafter said.
The number of personnel that will be deployed in schools will depend on the population of a particular school.
Rafter said that their contingency plans and security measures also include how to manage traffic flow near schools which is expected to become congested as children go back to school.
“Sa atong nabantayan man gud, ang usual gyud nga problema nato niini while we open classes is the congestion of traffic,” Rafter said.
Rafter said they will be coordinating with barangay tanods and the school management to address congestion concerns.
She said they will maximize CCPO personnel and their beat patrol cops to especially man traffic near schools.
Police Captain Mark Don Alfred Leanza, chief of Abellana Police Station, told reporters on Thursday, August 24, 2023, that they will be closely monitoring activities in schools that are located within their jurisdiction.
“When it comes to our security preparation naman sa upcoming opening of classes, we have deployed our field training police, our FTP. We have ten FTPs here. We also have our beat patrollers na nilagay namin strategically lalo na sa mga schools na kailangan proteksyonan yung mga students natin,” he said.
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