Graveyard serenity: PNP declares crime-free All Saints’ Day
QUIET REMEMBERING People visit their departed loved ones at Manila South Cemetery in Makati City on Tuesday to avoid the expected crowd on All Saints’ Day when Filipinos traditionally remember and honor the dead. (Photo from RICHARD A. REYES)
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) did not encounter any major crime in cemeteries and public places during the observance of All Saints’ Day.
It reported on Thursday that law enforcers only confiscated some prohibited items.
PNP monitored around three million cemetery goers nationwide for Undas.
Its security coverage continues as this number will still increase on All Souls’ Day (November 2).
PNP spokesperson Colonel Jean Fajardo said the holding of ‘Undas’ nationwide has been orderly and peaceful.
“Kahapon po, overall po, naging maayos at payapa naman po yung observance ng Undas at wala po tayong naitala na any major incident po,” she said in an interview on Radyo 630.
(Yesterday, overall, the observance of Undas was orderly and peaceful, and we did not record any major incidents.)
“Except po doon sa mga nakumpiska po natin na prohibited items, kagaya po ng bladed and pointed objects, yung mga flammable materials, mga intoxicating drinks,” she enumerated.
(Except for the prohibited items we confiscated, such as bladed and pointed objects, flammable materials, and intoxicating drinks.)
“Other than that po ay wala naman po tayong naitala na major incidents po,” she repeated.
(Other than that, we did not record any major incidents.)
No legal complaints were filed against persons who brought the banned items in cemeteries.
The materials were also given back to the owners on their way out.
“Ang iniiwasan po kasi natin diyan, kapag may mapalusot po tayo na nakalalasing na inumin, may mga bladed weapon pa, baka magkainitan at mauwi pa sa hindi maganda,” Fajardo explained.
(What we are avoiding there is if there are intoxicating drinks that were allowed to be brought in, then there are bladed weapons; it might cause a commotion and lead to something terrible.)
No theft or robbery has also been reported so far.
PNP remains on full alert on Thursday.
Personnel are still deployed in cemeteries, particularly in the National Capital Region.
Starting Friday, Fajardo said that it will be up to the at discretion of police regional directors if they will maintain the ‘alert status’ in their areas or lower it to ‘heightened alert’ up to the coming weekend.
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