PRO-6 orders full alert during Holy Week

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — The Police Regional Office-6 will go on full alert starting tomorrow, Sunday, April 17, and might be lifted on Monday, April 25.

Chief Supt. Cipriano Querol, Jr., PRO-6 director, said he already instructed all provincial and city police offices to maximize the presence of police personnel in their areas of jurisdiction.

At least 50 percent of the total force assigned to PRO-6 headquarters at Camp Delgado in this city will be on standby status while 100 percent of those at the field units will be on full alert. All day-off and leave of absence will also be cancelled. "Only personnel with approved emergency leaves could take an absence," he said.

PRO-6's Oplan SUMVAC (Summer Vacation) 2011 will also be carried out through the week but, this time, it would have special emphasis on areas frequented by devotees and tourists, such as churches and pilgrim areas.

An augmentation force from the 6th Regional Public Safety Battalion was already deployed to secure people who will witness the "Pagtaltal sa Guimaras" in Jordan, Guimaras.

Pagtaltal sa Guimaras is an annual Lenten presentation staged by the townspeople of Jordan patterned to Oberammergau in South Bavaria, Germany. Considered as a Good Friday highlight, it depicts the final act of play when Jesus was taken off from the cross and laid on his mother's lap.

Aside from Guimaras, the island of Boracay in Aklan province will also get an additional 50 policemen who will help in the maintenance of peace and order in the area.

The PRO6 earlier declared that it would also conduct compulsory security checks in transport terminals in Western Visayas this summer to pre-empt criminal activities during the holiday rush. Querol said policemen will frisk people for firearms and other deadly weapons to ensure the safety of motorists and tourists.

Commercial establishments, malls and other shopping centers, places of worships and vital installations will be placed under intensive security coverage, he said.

Police Assistance Centers (PACs) will also be set up in strategic locations to serve as quick reaction points during emergency, medical response, traffic management, and road security operations, said Querol.

In a related development, the Highway Patrol Group will conduct road safety inspections while the Maritime Police will intensify security in seaports. Querol said personnel in police stations will tap the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Teams and other anti-crime volunteer groups in the conduct of preventive patrols. (FREEMAN)