Police: School opening generally peaceful

Parents wait for their children outside the gates of President Corazon Aquino Elementary School at the opening of classes for the School Year 2014-2015 at suburban Quezon city northeast of Manila, Philippines Monday, June 2, 2014. AP

MANILA, Philippines–The first day of school nationwide was “generally peaceful” except for a robbery incident in an elementary school in Cavite province, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Monday.

Senior Superintendent Wilben Mayor, PNP spokesperson, said in a statement that no significant untoward incident was monitored in all regions at the moment as most classes resumed on Monday.

But Mayor said police received complaints of robbery at Paaralang Elementary ng Maitim Segundo in Barangay (village) Maitim in Tagaytay.

Unidentified robbers attacked the school at about 6 a.m. on Monday, making off with a school-owned digital camera worth P12,000 and the earnings of the school’s canteen worth P700.

Despite the police declaring the first day of school opening as peaceful, it assured the public that it would remain alert from crimes that might threaten the security of students.

Chief Superintendent Reuben Theodore Sindac, PNP Public Information Office chief, stressed that the PNP would continue its anti-criminality campaign by maintaining its security measures enforced in the entire country.

For this school year, around 18,500 policemen were deployed to secure elementary and high schools and the students studying there.

The PNP also set up 7,441 police assistance desks, which Sindac said were manned by police officers ready to assist students and parents, particularly with reports of bullying and other petty crimes.