NCRPO to secure malls for Christmas

MANILA, Philippines - The 18,000-strong National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) is focusing its efforts to secure malls and other places of convergence as Christmas is fast approaching, an official said yesterday.

The NCRPO is on heightened alert and has been conducting target hardening drills while validating reports on the reported threat of terrorists in Metro Manila, said Chief Superintendent Dennis Peña, NCRPO deputy chief for operations.

“We will be maximizing our police visibility operations in the streets as we expect Metro Manilans to troop to the malls and tiangges (flea markets) to buy gifts for their loved ones this Christmas,” he said in an interview.

Peña clarified that Metro Manila residents need not be alarmed – the NCRPO’s heightened alert status is normal during the Christmas season.

He stressed that the report of a terrorist threat is raw and unverified but the NCRPO is not taking it lightly as malls and areas of convergence are “congested during this time of the year.”

Peña said the NCRPO will intensify security operations at the Mall of Asia in Pasay City; Quiapo, Tutuban and Divisoria in Manila and the flea markets that sprout in the metropolis days before Christmas.

“We would be in every nook and corner of Metro Manila in the next few days not only to secure malls and areas of convergence but also to prevent criminals from striking,” Peña said.