NBI-7, PRO-7 in full force to secure Palarong Pambansa 2024

Police Regional Office 7 (PRO-7) uniformed personnel | Police Regional Office 7 Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines – A united front of law enforcement agencies is set to ensure the safety and security of all participants and spectators as Cebu City gears up for the upcoming Palarong Pambansa this July.

The multinational sports event will run from June 6 to 17 and is expected to bring thousands of delegates and spectators to the city, making robust security measures critical.

On June 18, Atty. Jose Dominic Clavano, assistant secretary and spokesperson for the Department of Justice (DOJ), met with Cebu City Acting Mayor Raymond Garcia, National Bureau of Investigation-7 (NBI-7) Regional Director Renan Augustus Oliva, and Police Regional Office-7 (PRO-7) Regional Director PBGen. Anthony Aberin to strengthen the collaboration among their agencies in combating crime and expediting the prosecution of cases.

“It was a very fruitful meeting, ‘cause nag dungan gyud og courtesy call ang Regional Directors sa PNP ug ang NBI,” Clavano said.

“We wanted to make sure that the acting mayor had the support of both law enforcement branches. Very important ni kay of course for the peace and order security and the situation sa atong City. Especially with the upcoming Palaro, we wanted to show that the law enforcement is united, kay dili na sila kanunay, NBI ug PNP baya. And so we wanted to make sure and showed that naay unity for in support of the acting mayor,” he added.

READ: Palarong Pambansa 2024: 2,000 policemen to secure sports event in Cebu

An appeal to DepEd: Make Palarong Pambansa more inclusive

Earlier, Police Lieutenant Colonel Gerard Ace Pelare, spokesperson of PRO-7, announced that a total of 2,000 police officers from the PRO-7 are set to be deployed to secure the multinational sports event.

However, this number is subject to change as authorities finalize additional venues and billeting areas for the sports event.

As of the latest update, PRO-7 has identified a total of 25 billeting quarters across Cebu, where they will concentrate their manpower alongside the competition venues. In addition to monitoring the competition venues, police will also maintain vigilance over various tourist spots in Cebu.

Pelare stated that this precaution is necessary because they cannot rule out the possibility that athletes’ families and other tourists may choose to visit the province’s famous attractions during this period.

READ: Palaro organizers announce final list of venues after slight changes

Palarong Pambansa 2024 budget cut from P405M to P262M

The strategic courtesy meeting on June 18 also focused on implementing “Department Circular 20,” a directive from Justice Secretary Boying Remulla aimed at enhancing collaboration between law enforcement and prosecutors.

“We want the prosecutors to be with the law enforcement agents at the very start of the case build up. So once there is a crime scene, and gusto natin nga naa dayon ang prosecutor so that ang evidence makuha, ang testimonies ma identify, and it will cause a stronger case to be filed in court,” Clavano explained.

This initiative is already in effect and being operationalized across the country, with training programs for law enforcement personnel and prosecutors to ensure effective cooperation.

“Right now the DOJ is going around the country capacitating all the prosecutors and law enforcement alike to be able to put into operationalize, to bring life into this Department Circular 20 which we all know has a lot of wisdom,” he added.

Moreover, Clavano said that the primary goal of these efforts is to de-clog court dockets and ensure that only strong, credible cases reach the courts.

“What we are trying to do is de-clog the court dockets. Because they are drowning in cases, in each probable cause, when the evidence is not really that clear. And it becomes a harassment suit, doing what we want is for people when they show up in court, is to be scared. Because they know this is something that will reach possibly a conviction,” he said.

Meanwhile, Acting Mayor Raymond Garcia praised the strong show of support from the heads of the NBI and PNP. He noted that NBI-7’s Oliva and PRO-7’s Aberin showed cooperation and coordination in combating criminality.

“Well it was really a very strong show of support ang ilang gibuhat diri sa atong administrasyon kay ang head gyud sa NBI, si Director Oliva ug si General Aberin who is the Regional Director of the Philippine National Police and it just shows nga grabe gyud ang ilang cooperation and coordination to fight criminality. And of course, nagpakita man sila nako, I also extended my all out support to these two agencies of the government,” Garcia said.

Garcia cited the need for cooperation among law enforcement agencies, especially as the Palarong Pambansa approaches. The preparation for the Palarong Pambansa, which will bring around 14,000 athletes to Cebu City, includes enhanced security measures.

“Ako ako gyung ingong nila nga tabangi intawn ang Cebu City sa Palaro especially with the augmentation of police personnel as well as you know NBI makatabang sad diha,” he said.  /with reports from Emmariel Ares

/clorenciana

The PALARONG PAMBANSA 2024: A CDN DIGITAL SPECIAL ONLINE COVERAGE is in partnership with: