The Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office (NORPPO) will deploy 200 police personnel in Dumaguete City for the Kabulakan Festival from May 17 to 24 to ensure public safety and secure participants in various events.

Captain Stephen Polinar, NORPPO spokesperson, told the Philippine News Agency in an interview yesterday that most of the police personnel will come from the city police force but with assistance from other police units.

“The Dumaguete City Police Station will be utilizing about 150 personnel, the tourist police will deploy around 20 personnel, and we also requested police officers from the two Provincial Mobile Force Companies,” Polinar said.

Other law enforcement agencies, such as the Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fire Protection, will also send their personnel, especially during the Dragonboat Race at the boulevard, he added.

The city has included other highlights, including a half-marathon, food fest and entertainment night at the boulevard, and the Kabulakan Festival street dancing and showdown at the Quezon Park.

Polinar, who also heads the Provincial Tourist Police Unit, said they are expecting huge crowds on these days, including residents and tourists.

Meanwhile, the police are stepping up their operations against illegal drugs following at least two bigger hauls of suspected shabu this month, Polinar said.

The police are expecting a rise in the illegal drug trade this summer due to the influx of tourists coming to Negros Oriental and nearby Siquijor province.

Polinar said Dumaguete is a trans-shipment point for illegal drugs intended for nearby areas like Siquijor and Dapitan in Mindanao.

On May 13, police and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency operatives arrested a high-value individual during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Talay in the city.

Seized from the suspect were some 55 grams of suspected shabu with an estimated street value of P374,000. (PNA)