Davao City’s San Pedro Square declared maximum security zone for Kadayawan
DAVAO CITY –– With preparations for the Kadayawan Festival now in full swing, city officials and the police stepped up security measures here, particularly around the San Pedro Square, considered a maximum security zone for the festivities, and where politicians and celebrities gather.
City Councilor Mabel Sunga-Acosta, who chairs the committee on security, said on Thursday that security forces and the police were expected to enforce tighter security at the San Pedro Square, the main stage for the Indak-Indak sa Kadayawan street-dancing competition on August 17, and the Pamulak sa Kadayawan floral float parade on August 24.
Aside from being the center of activities, where thousands of people, including celebrities and politicians, are expected to gather, the square is also surrounded by important infrastructure.
“It came out from our CPOC (City Peace and Order Council) meeting that we should declare San Pedro Square a maximum security zone since it is where the big events happen and where the main establishments of the city, such as the city hall, the Sangguniang Panlungsod building, and the San Pedro Church are located,” Acosta said.
The move was formalized by a local resolution which defined a maximum security zone as “an area to which access is controlled through an entry point and limited to authorized, appropriately screened personnel and authorized and properly escorted visitors, and monitored 24 hours a day and 7 days a week by peace-keeping forces.”
To prevent attacks, the special anti-terror unit Task Force Davao also pushed for the use of transparent garbage bins in the area to replace existing colored bins.
“If the garbage bins are transparent, we can easily see if some elements planted an explosive in there. This is to easily secure the entire area,” said Task Force Davao Commander Consolito Yecla.
Recent attacks in Basilan and Sulu were confirmed to have been perpetrated by suicide bombers, but the local government of Davao earlier expressed confidence on the peace and order situation in the city.
Yecla also reminded the public that the city would continue to enforce a ban on backpacks and jackets during masses at the San Pedro Cathedral and during major Kadayawan events in the city.
“The no-backpack policy will be implemented during events such as masses, Kadayawan, and Araw ng Davao,” Yecla said.
“But the no-jacket policy does not mean you could no longer wear a jacket to these events, you still can. But what you need to do is just to take off your jackets during inspections,” Yecla explained.
