LINGAYEN, Pangasinan — About 95 percent of the more than 3,000 policemen in Pangasinan have already been deployed in the streets and cemeteries in preparation for All Saints’ Day on Wednesday.
Chief Inspector Norman Florentino, information officer of the Pangasinan Police Provincial Office (PPPO), said the deployment is part of police visibility on November 1 and 2 and assure the safety and comfort of everyone.
He said police personnel in all 48 towns and cities have been ordered by Senior Supt. Ronald O. Lee, police provincial director, to set up police assistance centers especially along the highways and near cemeteries.
Police assistance centers were set up along the Manila North Road from Rosales town to Sison in the north and from Urdaneta to Lingayen and up to Bolinao.
Policemen in Pangasinan anticipate vacationists from Manila and other provinces to arrive in droves starting Monday night, as the day before All Saints’ Day on Wednesday is a holiday.
For this reason, policemen were also mobilized to provide security in bus stations where they will stay in their respective posts until November 2.
At the same time, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) will try to attain zero drowning in the beaches of Pangasinan during the holidays.
Avenix Arenas, PDRRMC spokesperson, said members of the Water Search and Rescue (WASAR) have already been deployed along the beaches of Pangasinan to watch out for swimmers and warn them from venturing in deeper portions of the water.
The PDRRMC has also banned swimming at night and for people who are drunk.
Vacationists are expected to pack the Lingayen beach and the Tondaligan beach in Dagupan starting October 31 to November 2. (Leonardo Micua/PNA)