POLICE have announced help hotlines that the public can call in case of emergencies during the week-long International Eucharistic Congress (IEC). Supt. Rey Tiempo, battle commander of the multi-agency coordinating center for the IEC, said the emergency contact numbers are 0927-736 6668 for Globe and 0943-248 8366 for Smart.
The command center is where representatives of all concerned government agencies will stay to monitor the security situation and launch immediate response.
“All concerned units must be present and prepared. Our delegates should be secured in coordination with our units who are on the field,” Tiempo told reporters.
Among the government agencies involved in monitoring are the Department of Health, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency and Bureau of Immigration.
They will verify the identities of the delegates and guests as well as monitor possible threats from known armed groups.
Other agencies represented in the command center are the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Coast Guard, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Philippine Air Force.
Ver Neil Balaba, operations officer of the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD), said there’s a protocol for the cancellation of events or massive evacuation in case of emergencies.
“We have already looked into possible scenarios such as natural events, if in case major venues and activities will be compromised because of earthquake or typhoon,” he said.