SIXTEEN K9 unit dogs will be on standby to secure the Basílica Minore del Santo Niño and the Sinulog grand parade on Sunday, Jan. 20. Col. Noel Baluyan, Task Force Cebu commander, said the dogs were trained to detect bombs.
He said that if the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 needs more bomb-sniffing dogs, the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Central Command has four dogs on standby.
Four of the dogs came from the Philippine Army in Tarlac, while three others came from Philippine Coast Guard and PRO 7. Senior Supt. Angelito Dumangeng, PRO 7 deputy director for operations, said the K9 units will be deployed at the basilica and the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC), where the grand parade’s stage is located. He said the dogs will scour the basilica and the CCSC for the safety of the devotees and Sinulog spectators.
“Sila yung papasok pag lalabas na ang mga tao sa simbahan at di muna papasukin ang mga tao pag hindi pa na check ng aso ang loob (They will go inside once the people are out of the church, and no one can enter the church unless the dogs have checked the area),” Dumangeng said. (From AYB of SuperBalita Cebu, KAL)