Mayor: No gun ban during All Saints, Souls days

NO GUN ban will be implemented during the celebration of All Saints and All Souls days on November 1-2 in Davao City, a top city official said Thursday.

Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio made the statement to deny reports that she issued a gun ban order for the observance of All Souls and Saints days.

She clarified that the new gun ban order will be implemented during the upcoming Pasko Fiesta celebration, instead.

The mayor has been criticized in the past by no less than her father, Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, for the localized gun ban she has been implementing during special occasions in the city.

However, it did not stop her from implementing the localized gun ban, which she already did twice in the past.

Meanwhile, local authorities have mapped out their security preparations in the wake of the coming observance of All Saints and All Souls days on November 1 and 2, respectively.

Senior Superintendent Jose Carumba, chief of Police Regional Office’s Police Community Relation Division (PRO-PCRD) in Davao Region, said the officers are now in the process of finalizing security measures with other stakeholders to ensure peace and order in the region.

Given that the region is still on red alert status since their Annual General Inspection last month, Carumba assured that the police, in coordination with the military, would continue their efforts in providing security in their areas of responsibility.

Carumba added that thousands of police personnel, including the armed forces and traffic enforcers, will be mobilized to ensure security and smooth flow of traffic around the region.

Senior Superintendent Ronald M. dela Rosa, director of the Davao City Police Office (DCPO), said some 2,000 policemen with the assistance of the Task Force Davao (TFD), Davao Public Safety Battalion, and Traffic Management Center (TMC) will be deployed in the city.

Dela Rosa said aside from their personnel, the PRO in Davao Region will also augment some additional security forces to strengthen the security here in Davao City.

He added that there are also civilian volunteers, referred as force multipliers who will assist the authorities.

Dela Rosa added that among the areas where police personnel will be deployed are memorial parks and cemeteries, seaports, airports, terminals, and other crowded places.

He said people are also prohibited from carrying bladed weapons, firearms, liquors, stereos, and even cigarettes inside the cemetery. He added that they will also establish an assistance desk in every cemetery that will entertain the concerns of the public.

Colonel Marcos Norman S. Flores, TFD commander, said their troops are already set for the safety and convenience of the public. He added that they will be deployed in strategic places to ensure law and order during the Undas.

Lieutenant Colonel Lyndon V. Paniza, spokesperson for the Army's 10th Infantry Division, said they will also augment some additional troops to TFD, if needed, as the 10th ID vowed to assist the PRO and their area of responsibility on its preparations for the Undas.

Retired Colonel Desiderio Cloribel, Traffic Management Center head, called on vehicles and motorists to check their re-routing schemes before leaving their homes to avoid inconvenience, preferably bringing with them a copy of the route scheme. (With report from ICT/Sunnex)