Police ready to secure 27-hectare venue

A city-wide special gun ban will be enforced from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1 for the San Pedro Calungsod thanksgiving Mass, said Cebu city police director Ramon Melvin Buenafe.

Security cameras will also be installed around the 27-hectare venue of the Mass where 500,000 to a milion people are expected to attend.

The Police Coordinating and Advisory Council (PCAC) approved a resolution yesterday calling for the gun ban in Cebu City from November 29 to Dc. 1 to deter any crime incidents.

This will be sent to the Police Regional Office 7 and Camp Crame for approval.

If a special gun ban is implemented, even owners of licensed firearms will not be allowed to carry their firearms outside their residence.

“The gun ban will just be for a short duration to ensure that people participating in the thanksgiving mass will be safe and secure and they will have peace of mind,” said Buenafe.

Police will enforce a liquor ban as well at the South Road Properties (SRP) where the thanksgiving mass will be held.

The police are preparing to provide VIP security for local and foreign dignitaries.

President Benigno Simeon Aquino III is expected to attend the mass.

Church officials from Rome, Guam and other parts of the country are also expected to come to Cebu for the vent.

About 400 police officers from Cebu City and an additional 1,000 from the Police Regional Office 7 will be fielded.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines will also deploy troops for crowd control.

Paramedics and medical volunteers will also stand by for emergencies.

“Our securing the venue is one way of showing our devotion to San Pedro Calungsod,” said Buenafe.

CCTVs

He said he already asked the companies who sponsored the Closed Circuit TV (CCTV) cameras used in the cemeteries of Cebu City during All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day to lend again their equipment during the November 30 event.

The 27-hectare area will be divided in 17 blocks.

Each block will have a public assistance center, which will have a medical team, crowd control personnel and fire fighters./Correspondents Edison delos Angels and Fe Marie D. Dumaboc