Metro Manila policemen are now on full alert in anticipation of the commemoration of Holy Week and the expected increase in the number of people leaving for the provinces.
Other police units in Luzon and the Visayas also remain on heightened alert, the second highest alert status in the Philippine National Police.
“The PNP is now on alert for the Lenten Season, particularly [in] tourist destinations and religious places which are often visited by the faithful,” PNP spokesperson Chief Supt. Generoso Cerbo Jr. said yesterday.
In Metro Manila, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) raised its status to full alert on Saturday as part of security preparations for the Holy Week.
NCRPO chief Director Carmelo Valmoria said the full alert status took effect at 5 p.m. Saturday.
A full alert status means all police personnel must be present and that all leaves and days off are cancelled.
Valmoria said their security measures would also be focused on bus terminals, seaports and airports in various areas in the metropolis as people go home to the provinces for the Holy Week break.
Meanwhile, Cerbo reminded those who would be leaving their houses unattended to secure these against burglars.
“They should coordinate with someone they can trust, a relative who can keep an eye on the house, or barangay officials,” Cerbo said.
He also urged citizens to be on the alert against criminals and to immediately report crimes to the nearest police station.
The public may contact the PNP through hotlines 2920 and 0917-8275757 and through police assistance desks to be set in strategic locations during the Holy Week. Julie M. Aurelio