San Juan beach in La Union province is a popular destination among surfers and has been drawing thousands of tourists before the pandemic was declared last year. (Photo by Willie Lomibao)
SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union––After Ilocos provinces were placed under COVID-19 Alert Level 2, the police chiefs in key tourist destinations were directed to activate their respective tourist police units.
“The Ilocos police will be on multi-role functions and will remain focused on mitigating the spread of the virus, especially that there is the threat of the new variant–Omicron,” said Brig. Gen. Emmanuel Peralta, director of Regional Police Office 1, in a statement Thursday, Dec. 2.
Peralta also ordered maximum police presence and visibility, especially in strategic and crowded areas frequented by tourists.
“Police presence and visibility will be increased, with the augmentation of personnel from the Provincial Mobile Force to police stations,” Peralta said.
Meanwhile, all Philippine National Police personnel conducting patrol operations in different tourist destinations in the region are instructed not to carry long firearms, only pistols.
“We will make the people feel safe with a less aggressive stance. We will maintain the police presence and alertness yet friendly PNP image,” Peralta said.
The said police operations and deployment are preparatory activities for the 2022 elections.
“With these, we promote the proper observance of health protocols, at the same time, we provide security and assistance to both the locals and the tourists, and ultimately, we deter criminality. It’s like hitting three birds with one stone,” he added.