CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Police officers were deployed throughout different schools as part of their Oplan Balik Eskwela program as public schools welcomed their students for the first day of classes in City of San Fernando on Monday.

Each school in the city was given teams of policemen to watch and ensure the safety of students, secure the school surroundings, prevent students from fighting and to prevent crimes.

Superintendent Edilberto Pitallano, officer in charge of the City of San Fernando police, said Oplan Balik Eskwela is a program coming from the Department of Education and Philippine National Police, which aims to ensure the security of the students from crimes like pickpocket and snatching.

Pitallano added that they have established Police Assistant Desks (PADs) in schools that have big student populations like e San Fernando Elementary School, which has an estimated population of 8,000 students and Pampanga High School, which has an estimated population of 9,600 students.

The police were also there to assist in preventing the heavy flow of traffic. They also provided leaflets in different schools, which gave tips on crime prevention.

Pitallano also said that earlier that day, they had a meeting with the principals and faculties of different schools to give safety precautions to their students. (Marionne Cayanan)