DAVAO City Police Office (DCPO) said roughly 5,000 to 6,000 security forces will be deployed for the Ironman 70.3 event to ensure the safety and security of the participants.

In an interview on Davao City Disaster Radio on March 20, 2023, DCPO spokesperson PMaj. Catherine dela Rey said they have deployed more personnel compared to other events due to its scope.

Dela Rey said under their area of responsibility, a total of 2,500 personnel will be deployed on March 26.

“Mas dako atong deployment kay mas taas-taas man gud atong stretch sa kadalanan na i-cover nato, compared atong sa Parada Dabawenyo (We have more deployment due to its scope compared to the Parada Dabawenyo),” she said.

“Karun ang ato man gud i-secure kay kining sa Lanang to Lasang, unya dako-dako ni nga area (We need to secure from Lanang to Lasang, and this is a big area to cover),” she added.

Ironman 70.3 will include a 1.9-kilometer swim at the Davao Gulf, a 90-km bike ride from Bajada in Davao City to Tagum City, and back again, a half-marathon 21-km run from Victoria Plaza to Azuela Cove and back.

Meanwhile, in the previous interview, the Police Regional Office Davao Region (PRO-Davao) submitted a request to their headquarters to suspend the permit to carry firearms outside of residence (PTCFOR) in the region a week before the Ironman 70.3 event.

However, as of March 21, Dela Rey said that there is no order from PRO-Davao to implement the gun ban yet. KSD