By JEN BAYLON
Brigadier General Arnold Thomas Ibay, chief of the Police Regional Office in the Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR), announced that they are on full alert for Holy Week and the midterm elections.
“We are considering all our security preparations to help us,” Ibay said.
He said their personnel would not be allowed to go on leave or take a day off for the week.
Ibay also mentioned that they are considering requesting additional troops from the Philippine Army to support security preparations for the arrival of vote-counting machines for the May 12 midterm elections.
“We have constant coordination with the [Philippine Army], and even the Philippine Coast Guard is providing additional support,” Ibay said.
“The arrival of our voting machines has already started. We are securing them and are ready for deployment during this Holy Week,” he added.
When asked about the reported shortage of around 300 police personnel in Negros Oriental, Ibay explained, “We are studying our deployment to ensure it is balanced so we can provide additional personnel to all the provincial police offices here.”
“We are balancing it to cover all security requirements for the Negros Island Region,” he pointed out.
Meanwhile, the PRO-NIR chief said the current situation in the region for Holy Week has been generally peaceful so far.
The Negros Occidental Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Emergency Operations Center is also on blue alert starting yesterday until Monday, April 21.
Earlier, Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office spokesperson Captain Judesses Catalogo said police personnel have been deployed to key areas of convergence across the province, such as public markets, churches, ports, resorts, and other popular destinations likely to see a surge in visitors.
The volume of travelers heading home to their respective towns is expected to increase starting Maundy Thursday, April 17.
Authorities also anticipate a significant influx of people at resorts and beaches on Black Saturday, April 19, and Easter Sunday, April 20.
Tourist destinations such as beach resorts, hotels, mountain retreats, and other attractions will also likely draw large crowds of both local and foreign visitors./JB, WDJ