BACOLOD CITY — A total of 2,033 policemen, soldiers and other law enforcement personnel will secure the highlights of the 39th MassKara Festival in this city from October 26 to 28.
Senior Supt. Francisco Ebreo, acting director of the Bacolod City Police Office, announced this year’s troop deployment on Wednesday, five days before the 21-day festival officially opens on Oct. 8.
On Thursday afternoon, various agencies tasked to secure the festival met for the third time in a coordinating conference.
“We have conducted a series of conferences, we have also conducted contingency planning…to ensure that MassKara 2018 will be more peaceful than MassKara 2017,” Ebreo said.
He added that security preparations are planned in such a way that police forces are ready, even for the possible arrival of President Rodrigo Duterte.
A gun ban is also expected to be enforced for the duration of the festival while mobile phone signals will also be shut down during the weekend highlights, he said.
Ebreo noted that this year’s deployment is much larger than last year’s 1,587, as additional troops are needed to secure more identified areas and to respond to an “emerging situation,” referring to the 2019 mid-terms elections.
“We can be sure that those running for senatorial positions will come to Bacolod to witness the MassKara. That is one of our considerations, and also we cannot discount those happening in the nearby regions and provinces. There can also be bomb threats, rallies. So we’re preparing for that,” he added.
Ebreo said that aside from assigning troops to secure the three main festivals sites, including the Bacolod Public Plaza, Lacson Tourism Strip, and Bacolod City Government Center grounds, they will also deploy personnel to other areas frequented by tourists.
He added that a day before the MassKara Festival opens, 50 percent of the assigned troops will be deployed to secure the festival sites.
On Oct. 15, about 75 percent of the troops will be dispatched, and on Oct. 24, two days before the highlights, 100 percent of the troops will be dispatched to secure all events related to the festival. (Nanette Guadalquiver/PNA)
