MANILA, Philippines - The observance of All Saints’ Day in 98 cemeteries in Metro Manila yesterday was generally peaceful, a police official said.
As of 4 p.m. yesterday, the 202 Police Assistance Desks set up in the cemeteries reported no untoward incident, said National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Joel Pagdilao.
“We recorded no untoward incident in the cemeteries in Metro Manila,” Pagdilao said, quoting reports from his five police districts.
There are 30 cemeteries under the jurisdiction of the Northern Police District, 29 at the Southern Police District, 20 at the Quezon City Police District, 15 at the Eastern Police District and four at the Manila Police District.
Pagdilao said police officers confiscated 38 bladed weapons, bottles of liquor, flammable materials such as thinner and gardening tools.
“We were not able to confiscate gambling cards and sound systems and firearms,” he said.
Pagdilao lauded the five police district directors and 38 station commanders in Metro Manila for the intensified security preparations in cemeteries, bus terminals and airports seaports and airports.
He ordered them not to lower their guard and to continue securing bus terminals for the exodus of people going back to Metro Manila after the holiday.
2 M flock to cemeteries
An estimated two million people flocked to the cemeteries in the metropolis, 1.7 million of them trooping to the Manila North Cemetery to honor their dead.
Senior Inspector Melchor Villar of the Manila Police District public information office said the observance of All Saints’ Day in the city was generally peaceful.
He said usual problems such as lost children, relatives who failed to find the tombs of their departed loved ones and old people and women getting sick were reported to the police.
Villar said medical personnel and ambulances were on standby to assist the visitors.
The Philippine Red Cross and the city government of Manila provided 100 wheel chairs for the senior citizens.
Police confiscated at least 88 bladed weapons, garden tools and flammable materials from the visitors.
Posters of candidates in next year’s elections were banned in all public cemeteries in the city.
Mayor Joseph Estrada said even his old poster at the Manila North Cemetery was removed.
Estrada is seeking a second term in 2016.
The mayor visited the tomb of his friend, Fernando Poe Jr., on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the gate of the Chinese Cemetery along Rizal Avenue Extension in Caloocan was covered by posters of politicians.
Ambulant vendors occupied the street causing heavy traffic up to Grace Park.
Residents made a killing by converting the street into a parking lot, charging as high as P50 per vehicle.
No untoward incidents were reported in the Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela (Camanava) area, although traffic was heavy along roads leading to the cemeteries.
Truckloads of trash hauled
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority has collected 142 truckloads of trash from public cemeteries in the metropolis.
Francis Martinez of the agency’s parkway and clearing operation said the garbage collection started on Saturday.
“As of yesterday, we have collected at least 419 tons of garbage, mostly plastics and styrofoams,” he said. – With Perseus Echeminada