Pope in PH: ‘Tired’ cops sleep in stadiums, schools, offices

The Pope’s convoy arrives near the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila after Pope Francis celebrated mass at the Manila Cathedral on Friday, January 16, 2015. PDI/Rem Zamora

MANILA, Philippines—After days of being out in the streets and standing for long hours to secure Pope Francis and millions of Catholic faithful, aren’t the 25,000 policemen exhausted?

Since they were sent to the areas and routes of the Pope’s engagements, most policemen deployed haven’t gone to their homes.

“I want you to know that policemen are not going home. They are billeted in Rizal Memorial Stadium and Cuneta Astrodome. Let’s thank them for their help,” Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said in a press briefing on Friday.

Even those policemen who are ordered to stay put in their police stations sleep in the office, according to National Capital Region Police Office Police Director Carmelo Valmoria.

Stripped of their comforts at home, policemen are required to sleep in schools and stadiums to “lessen the risk of policemen failing to report on duty.”

In Light Rail Transit 1, four policemen are deployed to secure commuters coming to Manila to see the Pope.

One of the four policemen, Police Officer 1 Harold Epie of the NCRPO regional public safety battalion, said their duty was to ride the train from the first until the last trip.

LRT 1 operations start at 5:30 a.m. The last trains from Roosevelt and Baclaran station leave around 10 p.m.
As the Pope’s motorcade approached Roxas Boulevard on Thursday afternoon, Valmoria said he saw a noncommissioned police officer lying on his back on the pavement.

The unnamed policeman claimed he was tired so he decided to lie down for a while.

“I will have him investigated. He can sleep but he can do that in his bedroom. But he can’t do that while in public and while he’s on duty,” Valmoria said.

Valmoria said, however, that this was only an isolated case and that all other policemen were diligently doing their jobs.

This weekend, Valmoria said more civilian personnel would be sent to the field. Since Monday, some volunteers from barangay peacekeeping action teams were also deployed for the papal visit.

“Pasalamatan at kilalanin natin ang malaking ambag at tulong ng mga pulis sa malaking event na ito,” Roxas said.