Extra security readied for Pope’s Leyte visit

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — In addition to the thousands of policemen, local and national, detailed to provide security for Pope Francis’s visit to Leyte next year, City Police director Senior Superintendent Domingo Cabillan said thousands of civilian volunteers are now being trained as “force multipliers.”

Cabillan said these volunteers are from different parishes, members of peace organizations and college students who can help provide the needed security for the pope.

“Augmentation of around 100-200 uniformed personnel will already be okay,” Cabillan said, pertaining to the number of police needed to secure the places in the city where the Pope is slated to pass by in going to Palo.

The requirement is 7,000 police security force so “it is up to the national leadership on how to augment the required number of policemen,” he said adding that a policeman will be positioned every five meters along the roadsides with a number of force multipliers in between.

“We do not leave this to the PNP alone. Even media and the public could help. They are the force multipliers who can help secure our Pope especially during the motorcade from the airport to Palo, which is more or less 12 kilometers if we will secure both sides of the road,” Cabillan said.

The Archdiocese of Palo’s Commission on Youth is working hard to recruit at least 5,000 youth volunteers to assist as force multipliers and as volunteers for in other committees.

Major re-routing

The vicinity of the Tacloban airport will be a no-entry zone to vehicles 19 hours prior to the celebration of the Papal Mass. Authorities said that in the last three hours immediately preceding the papal mass, no more significant movement of people should take place.

A major re-routing of PUVs and trucks will be implemented as early as January 16, leaving an average of 1.7 kilometer stretch in all directions for pilgrims to negotiate to reach the airport.

Road blocks will also be set up to decongest the main thoroughfares where the convoy of Pope Francis will traverse from the airport to Palo where a series of activities are slated.

As far as the bays around Tacloban are concerned, no motorboat will be allowed to enter the waters by the airport. Berthing will only be allowed in one area of Tacloban shores, along Cancabato Bay which is away from the airport. Maritime police and coastguards will also be deploying fast crafts to secure the waters.

Car-less day

The Department of Public Works and Highways is now in the thick of fabricating steel railings which will be installed along roadsides in highly congested areas. Cabillan said this is to deter the people who will witness the motorcade of the Pope from crossing the streets.

All roads going to Palo will be closed. Small vehicles will only be allowed to traverse the peripheral roads starting Jan. 16. “We are making coordination with the LGUs concerned to allow the use of all open spaces for parking,” Cabillan said.

Under the re-routing, he added, vehicles parked in areas where they are not allowed “will be towed automatically.”

“Only the cars of super, super VIPs will be allowed to enter,” said Cabillan, as January 17 will definitely be a car-less day to clear road of obstruction. (CBCPNews) (FREEMAN)