Nearly 9,000 officers from the National Capital Region Police Office will be deployed across Metro Manila during this year’s observance of All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days, the NCRPO said yesterday.
The NCRPO will be on full alert starting Oct. 31 – a special non-working holiday.
‘Our preparation for Undas is anchored on anticipation, coordination and compassion,’ said NCRPO chief Maj. Gen. Anthony Aberin in a statement yesterday.
He said 8,575 personnel from the five districts, regional headquarters, regional mobile force battalion and support units will be stationed in cemeteries, worship places, major thoroughfares, transportation hubs and ‘rally convergence points.’
An additional 1,330 police officers will conduct anti-criminality operations, including beat and mobile patrols, checkpoints, traffic management and medical assistance.
Metro Manila is home to some of the largest cemeteries in the country, including Manila North Cemetery, Manila South Cemetery, Libingan ng mga Bayani, Manila Memorial Park and La Loma Cemetery.
Aside from Undas, the NCRPO is preparing for the White Friday protests on Oct. 31.
‘Even with simultaneous rallies expected across the region, our goal is to maintain peace without compromising the rights of the people,’ Aberin said.
Meanwhile, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport said the NAIA is ready to accommodate from Oct. 27 to Nov. 5 some 1.3 million passengers, including Filipino balikbayans and overseas workers who will join this year’s Undas.
New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. chairman Ramon Ang said the country’s main airport will become the best airport after its rehabilitation as he, along with NNIC general manager Angelito Alvarez and Manila International Airport Authority chief Eric Ines, showed Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez improvements done at the terminals, including the facial recognition kiosk in airline counters, drop bags and immigration e-gates.
‘From the worst airport, NAIA will become the best airport after rehabilitation,’ Ang said.
Alvarez said passenger experience has also improved with the on-time performance rated above the global standard of 85 percent.
Maximum police visibility for holidays
Beyond Undas, Mayor Isko Moreno ordered the Manila Police District (MPD) to implement maximum police visibility, particularly in the capital city’s busiest districts as the Christmas season approaches.
During a meeting yesterday, Moreno ordered the MPD to ‘deploy additional personnel and conduct round-the-clock patrols in high-density areas such as Binondo, Recto, Quiapo, Ermita, Malate and the University Belt.’
Moreno said police presence would be augmented by barangay personnel who will be tapped to ensure peace and order during the holidays.
‘Police officers should be on the roads, they should be seen and felt by the people. We want residents and visitors to feel that they are safe during the holidays,’ Moreno said in Filipino.