THE police announced Monday, April 22, the observance of the Holy Week was generally peaceful in the Zamboanga Peninsula as there was no recorded violent incident except for road accidents.

Emmanuel Licup, Police Regional Office (PRO)-Zamboanga Peninsula director, attributed the peaceful observance of the Holy Week to the strict implementation of the security measure dubbed as “Oplan Ligtas Sumvac 2019.”

The Oplan Ligtas Sumvac 2019 is a nationwide-coordinated police operations that aim to provide security during the Lenten Season and summer vacation.

Police Brigadier General Licup commended the police forces here for keeping the Holy Week observance safe and secured.

The PRO-Zamboanga Peninsula deployed 3,117 policemen in religious sites and other areas of convergence in the region to ensure the peaceful observance of the Holy Week.

Some 1,628 “force multipliers and volunteer groups” were tapped to support the policemen in providing security to the catholic faithful.

Licup said they have recorded at least 12 vehicular accidents from April 17 to 21: Zamboanga City, four; Zamboanga Sibugay, five; Zamboanga del Norte, two; and, Zamboanga del Sur, one.

He added that four people died while 40 others were injured in the 12 vehicular accidents they have recorded in the region. (Bong Garcia/SunStar Philippines)