DAVAO CITY – The local government will deploy at least 6,500 police, military, and other security force multipliers to ensure the safety of the people visiting the graves of their loved ones on All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day on November 1 and 2, respectively.
Benito de Leon, head of the Public Safety and Security Command Center (PSSCC), said the security forces will be pooled from the Davao City Police Office (DCPO), Task Force Davao, Bureau of Fire and Protection (BFP), City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO), Civil Security Unit (CSU) and volunteer police auxiliary.
De Leon said at least three Army battalions and the Philippine Coast Guard will also participate in the heightened security campaign.
Senior Insp. Maria Theresita Gaspan, spokesperson of Davao City Police Office (DCPO), said the local police are preparing a “more than the usual” security plan for Undas 2018.
Gaspan said there will be three security blankets, wherein the inner layer will be stationed inside cemeteries; the middle layer to manage the traffic especially in major cemeteries; and the third layer at the checkpoints.
She said more personnel will be deployed in 58 major cemeteries out of the city’s 214 cemeteries.
Gaspan said a soft deployment of combined security forces will be conducted on October 30.
She reminded that the usual security measures will remain in effect, such as prohibition on bladed weapons, loud sound system, gambling paraphernalia, liquor, and other banned materials.
“We request those who will visit the graves of their loved ones to make sure that houses are locked to ensure these are secured against thieves, ” she added. (Rhoda Grace Saron/PNA)
