PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan — A simultaneous civil diffusion control training was held here Tuesday among personnel of the city and Palawan provincial police offices as part of their security measures for the May 14 local polls.
In the long-term, the civil disturbance management (CDM) is an operational procedure about how the police should handle street protests to maintain peace and order in surrounding communities, said Senior Supt. Gabriel Lopez, the director of the Palawan Provincial Police Office.
“We have events like the election that sometimes need crowd control so this is a part of our preparation for untoward situations like that,” he said.
Around 30 police personnel participated in the CDM course that basically taught them the use of reasonable force when required in the dispersal of violent mass protests.
In the crowd dispersal, he said police personnel must always promote and protect the people’s right to freedom and peaceful assembly.
However, when rallies become violent, the police force is allowed when necessary to use tear gas, smoke grenades, and water cannons, or any anti-riot device.
But Lopez said that in Puerto Princesa and the rest of the province, mass protest is not difficult because of the peace-loving nature of the residents.
“We have not recorded any violent mass demonstration or rally here, but since the election is upcoming, then we need to be prepared,” he said. (Celeste Anna Formoso/PNA)
