INQUIRER FILES
LUCENA CITY — The Police Regional Office 4A (PRO-4A) will deploy 6,557 policemen across the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) region to maintain peace and order during the annual observance of this year’s All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, or “Undas.”
“PRO4A is ramping up public safety services to assist the public and ensure overall security, recognizing that the event could be exploited by various threat groups, terrorists, and other criminal elements,” the PRO-4A public information office (PIO) said in a press release on Wednesday, Oct. 30.
The law enforcers will be dispatched to places of convergence, cemeteries, transportation hubs, terminals, seaports, and busy thoroughfares to serve as security forces from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3.
The police will be supported by 650 personnel from the military, the Bureau of Fire Protection, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, and 5,675 civilians, or “force multipliers,” the PIO said.
Brigadier General Paul Kenneth Lucas, PRO-4A commander, ordered all policemen in the region to enhance security operations and implement a comprehensive public safety plan for a secure, safe, and orderly observance of the traditional event.
Lucas emphasized the importance of providing protection and assistance to motorists and commuters traveling to the provinces for Undas.
He said police forces would also be deployed along the Aguinaldo Highway in Cavite, the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) in Laguna, the Southern Tagalog Access Road (STAR) in Batangas, and other national highways in Rizal and Quezon, which are expected to experience heavy traffic due to the volume of vehicles during the Undas exodus.
Lucas reminded motorists and travelers that “early preparation and extra caution are the keys to a safe and smooth trip.”.
“To ensure everyone’s safety and order, the police will patrol and monitor 24 hours a day with the assistance of our local government, force multipliers, and other counterparts,” Lucas said. INQ