THE acting National Police (PNP) chief, Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., on Thursday said that the cyber units of the agency will help secure the coming ‘Undas’ holidays.
Nartatez said that the police cyber units will operate in tandem with regional monitoring hubs to watch over social-media chatter and digital incident reports that could indicate emerging threats or misinformation.
‘Security today is no longer confined to physical spaces. We are also monitoring digital spaces where misinformation or scams can spread quickly, especially when millions of Filipinos are travelling and staying connected through their phones,’ Nartatez said.
‘Technology gives us an added layer of situational awareness. It helps us deploy personnel more efficiently and detect possible problems before they escalate,’ he explained.
Nartatez also tasked the Anti-Cybercrime Group to flag fake advisories, phishing messages, or online scams pretending to offer travel assistance or cemetery services.
He said crowd behavior analytics drawn from CCTV (closed-circuit television) networks, drone footage, and mobile app data will also help estimate real-time movement in transport terminals and major cemeteries.
So far, police have not monitored any threats in anticipation of the All Saints/Souls commemoration.
On the ground, some 25,300 policemen and 22,000 force multipliers will be deployed nationwide to ensure the safety of the public.
Assistance desks, patrol teams, and traffic management units will also be stationed in cemeteries, bus terminals, seaports, and airports.