By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan/Philippine News Agency
MANILA — Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde on Monday commended all PNP commanders and personnel responsible for the peaceful observance of the Holy Week.
“I extend the congratulations of the national leadership to all government personnel, civilian volunteers, community leaders, motorist organizations, private individuals and our force multipliers for the generally peaceful, orderly and uneventful observance of the traditional Holy Week,” Albayalde said in a press briefing in Camp Crame.
A total of 24,779 PNP personnel are currently deployed in 4,732 Police Assistance Centers situated in strategic locations along main thoroughfares and travel routes, and in vital installations and mass transportation terminals to assist travelers returning to the urban centers from their Holy Week holiday.
“Although alert conditions in some regions have been considerably downgraded, and the NHQ Reactionary Standby Support Force (RSSF) for SUMVAC 2019 has been deactivated, the orders of the National Headquarters to personnel manning the Police Assistance Centers is to remain in their posts until after all travelers have returned to their destinations,” Albayalde said.
“Except for some isolated incidents reported in several regions, the observance of the Holy Week was generally peaceful, without any significant untoward incident in the magnitude of a national emergency,” the PNP chief noted.
Albayalde also said from April 14 to April 21, the PNP monitored 88 incidents that resulted in 56 deaths and injuries to 128 persons during the summer vacation, particularly the duration of the Holy Week.
He said 45 were killed due to drowning, which includes children, eight died due to vehicular accidents while the rest were victims of shooting.
“This serves as an eye opener, possibly for agencies and organizations involved in promoting personal safety to initiate programs to develop basic drown-proofing and swimming skills as part of physical education curriculum in schools,” he stressed.
The country’s top cop also said the recent Holy Week experience bolsters the need to further enhance road safety awareness and continuous review of road engineering features and design to minimize accidents.
He said the PNP will continue it strengthened security measure amid the summer vacation and the upcoming mid-term elections.
The PNP urged the public to remain vigilant in order to fully enjoy the summer vacation.
The PNP encourages the public to provide the police with relevant and timely information through its social media accounts, @pnppio for Twitter and @pnphotline for Facebook, and Isumbong Mo Kay OCA text line at 0917-847-5757.
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