By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
The Police Regional Office in Western Visayas (PRO-6) will deploy additional personnel to Bacolod City as part of security measures for this year’s MassKara Festival in October.
During a command conference with personnel from the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) and the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) last Friday and Saturday, August 26 and 27, PRO-6 acting director General Leo Francisco said he is no stranger to providing security for large events, pointing out his previous stint as head of the Manila Police District, when he also oversaw the security of the annual Traslacion of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila.
Francisco said he would also give some recommendations to NOCPPO and BCPO with regards to how they could effectively and efficiently make use of the manpower and resources they would have during the period.
The PRO-6 director has also yet to announce the exact number of personnel that would be sent to the city. As part of the preparations, he has also given orders to NOCPPO director Colonel Leo Pamittan and BCPO director Colonel Thomas Joseph Martir to also step up their anti-illegal drug operations.
Earlier this month, Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez gave orders to Martir to intensify their monitoring of illegal drugs in the city ahead of the festival.
The mayor has ordered the BCPO to further intensify their monitoring particularly at the city’s BREDCO and Banago ports as it could be used as an entry point of illegal drugs.
Benitez has also requested to assign K9 dogs in the city’s ports to boost their surveillance and monitoring operations.
The problem of illegal drugs particularly becomes an issue whenever the MassKara Festival is being held due to the thousands of tourists visiting the city.
To recall, during the 2019 MassKara Festival, the BCPO seized almost P2.6 million worth of suspected shabu which was later traced to have originated from Mindanao.
However, during the first few months of 2022, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Western Visayas reported that most of the illegal drugs entering Bacolod City and Negros Occidental have originated from Luzon./DGB, WDJ