MANILA, Philippines - On the eve of the visit of Pope Francis, Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas on Wednesday appealed anew for the people’s cooperation during the event to ensure His Holiness' security and the safety of the millions of people who would want to personally meet him.
During a media briefing, Roxas said mass at the Luneta is expected to start at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.
He said that the area will be divided into grids which will serve two purposes - as buffer and as emergency exit when somebody has to be extracted from the crowd and to bring him to a hospital.
"This is what you call breaker so that people will have somewhere to go in case they will push against each other," Roxas said.
He appealed to the people to make the corridors dividing the grids open.
"That is one of the requests we ask from you so that the Pope can move around and be near all of you," Roxas added.
He said that each grid will be manned by eight police personnel, 400 Armed Forces of the Philippines reservists, eight to 10 Department of Health personnel, eight to 10 Red Cross volunteers and two marshals.
He added that the health personnel will be located inside a tent with the necessary emergency equipment like water and oxygen tanks.
Roxas also stated that each grid will be marked by signs for easy identification.
Meanwhile, National Capital Region Police Office Director Carmelo Valmoria advised the public not to insist on entering a grid which has been declared full and to avoid bringing children during the Mass.