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Thursday, January 15, 2009
Gun ban ordered
CEBU CITY -- A gun ban will be in effect in this city during the Sinulog weekend to ensure a peaceful celebration, police announced Wednesday.
Senior Superintendent Louie Oppus, Regional Operations and Plans Division chief, announced the gun ban in Wednesday's monthly Talakayan sa Isyung Pulis (TSIP) forum.
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Instead of implementing it only within the carousel route during the Sinulog grand parade on Sunday and the solemn procession the day before, as recommended by Cebu City Police Office Director Patrocinio Comendador, Oppus said the gun ban will cover the entire city.
All permits to carry firearms outside one's residence are suspended, he said.
Exempted from the gun ban are policemen included in the Sinulog security force and those on duty. Special arrangements will be made for intelligence officers on covert operations.
Hot water
Comendador, in a separate interview, said the gun ban will start on Friday midnight.
Cebu Provincial Police Office Director Carmelo Valmoria, who was present during the forum, directed his men who are not part of the Sinulog augmentation force not to bring firearms to the city "otherwise they will be in hot water."
Starting Friday afternoon, full alert status will be imposed on the city and Cebu Province.
While the CCPO and the other support agencies will have their hands full with the Sinulog, the Police Regional Office (PRO) in Central Visayas ordered all neighboring police stations and offices in Metro Cebu to strengthen intelligence monitoring and conduct random checkpoints.
More than 1,000 police personnel will be fielded on the streets to secure the Sinulog.
The Central Command, which has been tasked to take charge of crowd control, will deploy an estimated 8,000 "crowd controllers" composed of 500 organic personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), reservists, 3,000 Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) cadets and 4,500 members of the civic welfare training service (CWTS).
Alert
Lieutenant Colonel Jacinto Bareng, Chief Civil Military Operations officer, said the crowd control team will be deployed along the carousel route from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.
Oppus said one platoon from the PRO and the Regional Mobile Group has been placed on full standby alert in case there is a need to dispatch them for augmentation.
Apart from intelligence officers assigned to monitor petty thieves, four wireless cameras will be installed in strategic areas in the city.
A liquor ban will also be strictly implemented within the carousel route.
Drunk people found along the carousel route will also be apprehended and placed in a bus that will serve as temporary shelter.
Valmoria, Senior Superintendent Orlando Ualat, acting chief of the Mandaue City Police Office, and Lapu-Lapu City Police Office Director Mariano Natuel said they will assist the CCPO by conducting checkpoints and monitoring the possible presence of robbers.
Valmoria said a sufficient number of Special Reaction Unit (SRU) operatives will also help the city police secure the Abellana Sports Center.
Convenience
Meanwhile, the City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) has decided to allow road closures only "when absolutely necessary." The decision came after last Friday's heavy traffic during the Sinulog launching parade.
This, said City Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem, was agreed upon as the policy direction the Citom board will adopt when it comes to closing streets for events.
"Public convenience first," said Jakosalem, Citom board member and chairman of the City Council committee on energy, transportation, communication and other utilities.
He said the board came up with the decision during its meeting Wednesday morning that was presided over by Acting Mayor Michael Rama.
The mayor serves as the Citom board chairman.
Rama's presence during the meeting Wednesday was a rare one as Mayor Tomas Osmeña rarely attended such gatherings, having designated Jakosalem to represent him.
Jakosalem said the board acknowledged that what happened last Friday resulted in traffic gridlocks and provoked numerous complaints.
Sacrifice
After the mass at the Pilgrim Center, a parade took place from the Basilica del Sto. Niño, which passed through Osmeña Blvd. towards the Fuente Osmeña Oval around 4 p.m. last Friday.
Jakosalem said Osmeña Blvd. was closed as early as noon which resulted in horrendous traffic. Many roads, he said, were not immediately opened to motorists after the parade.
"It was one of the worst experiences... so I suggested the roads would be closed only when absolutely necessary like during the Asean summit," he said.
"And if the road really has to be closed, it should be done only right before the event. Kay one road that is closed daghan na man ng maapektahan (can have so many effects)," he added.
He said the current practice is to close roads an hour before the schedule, which will be changed.
He suggested, though, that people should refrain from using their cars this weekend because many roads will be closed for the procession and the grand parade, respectively. (JTG/RHM/Sun.Star Cebu)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Iloilo. (January 15, 2009 issue)
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