MORE than 4,000 police officers are set to be deployed by the Police Regional Office 7 (PRO 7) in different Catholic churches in the Central Visayas that will host religious activities during the Holy Week.

Personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Coast Guard and other force multipliers will also assist in maintaining peace and order.

According to PRO 7 spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Gerard Ace Pelare, they are expecting a large number of people to flock to the different bus terminals and ports to go home to their respective provinces in the latter part of this month because of the long vacation from April 6 to 10.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. declared April 6 and 7, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, as regular holidays.

He also moved the commemoration of the Araw ng Kagitingan, which is a regular holiday, to Monday, April 10 instead of April 9, which falls on a Sunday.

“Usa sa atong gitan-aw kining mga terminals nato, like before, of course with little modification according to actual situation, atoang siguradoon nga ang transportation sa atong pagbakasyon ma secure nato. Usa sad ana ang orderliness nga dapat orderly ang pag travel nila ug ang ilang pag adto sa terminal naay sakto nga number of police officers,” Pelare said.

(One of the things we are looking at are our terminals, like before of course, with little modification according to the actual situation to make sure that the transportation during our vacation will be secure for us. Another one is the orderliness that they should travel in an orderly manner and that there is an appropriate number of police officers in the terminal.)

Like in the previous Holy Week celebration, the police will keep an eye on criminal personalities who might prey on travelers by pickpocketing and engaging in other types of theft.

Aberin ordered his subordinates to not only focus on the Holy Week activities but also pay attention to any potential terrorist attacks in churches where people gather.

On Saturday April 1, 2023, the PRO 7 will implement a skeletal deployment throughout the entire region and likely raise the alert level from normal to a heightened level. (AYB/TPT)