DAVAO CITY – The Davao City Police Office (DCPO), other security forces, and the city government have pooled resources to secure the upcoming Davao Regional Athletic Association (DAVRAA) in Davao City this month.
More than 5,000 security forces will be deployed in Davao City, said Angel Sumagaysay, the deputy head of the Public Safety and Security Command Center (PSSCC).
Sumagaysay said the components of the security involved will be coming from DCPO, Task Force Davao, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Navy, Tactical Operations Group and the Civil Security Unit (CSU).
“We give emphasis on the security and protection of the delegates, the players, and spectators,” he said.
He said there will be tight security measures to be implemented especially in the playing venues and billeting quarters.
Sumagaysay revealed there will be police officers and personnel from CSU who will be deployed in the billeting areas to prevent looting incident inside the quarters.
“During our meeting, we give importance to this matter (looting) and we will make sure that the billeting areas will be well guarded,” he said.
Looting inside billeting quarters is a common scenario in every annual sporting event not just in the region but also in the national events.
He said all delegates including the security personnel and staff of the regional games will be given identification cards.
The event will be from February 17 to 23 , with the opening rites on February 18 at the University of Mindanao Sports complex in Matina.
Around 8,000 young athletes from across the region will converge in the city for the annual sporting event which is their road to the Palarong Pambansa.
This is the first time for the city to host the regional meet after it was renames from Southern Mindanao Regional Athletic Association (SMRAA) 8in 2003. (Armando Fenequito Jr/PNA)
