INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA
Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director General Oscar Albayalde declared on Wednesday a full alert status for the police force to ensure public safety during the observance of All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day.
“Sa ngayon we have declared full alert status until November 3, although pwedeng i-extend iyan depende sa appreciation ng ibang mga regional directors,” he told reporters.
(Today we have declared a full alert status until November 3, although that can be extended depending on the appreciation of other regional directors.)
Under the full alert status, all police personnel will be present to ensure the safety of the public and all leaves of the police officers will be canceled, he said.
Albayalde also said that almost 2,000 reserved forces from the PNP will be deployed near malls and other places in Metro Manila where people may flock during the long weekend.
He said these additional personnel from the PNP is not included in the 32,000 police officers to be deployed across the country during the observance of All Saints and All Souls Day.
READ: PNP to deploy more than 30,000 cops for ‘Undas’
“Idedeploy iyang reserved forces natin from Camp Crame. Idedeploy iyan sa mga places of convergence dahil mahaba iyong weekend natin ngayon,” he said during his surprise inspection at the Araneta Center Bus Terminal.
(The reserved forces will be deployed from Camp Crame. They will be deployed in the places of convergence because we will have a long weekend.)
According to Albayalde, the public might flock to the malls during the long weekend to shop for the Christmas season.
He also assured that the police have not received any threat on the observance of the two occasions.
Albayalde, meanwhile, urged the public to be alert when going to cemeteries, as some criminals may take advantage of the crowd to commit illegal acts.
“Kahit nandiyan ang ating kapulisan at law enforcement agencies, mag-ingat pa rin po tayo. Meron at meron pong magtetake-advantage diyan,” he said.
(Even if the police and law enforcers are there, let’s still be careful. There will always be someone who will take advantage of the situation.) /je