THE local security cluster said on Monday, March 27 that the Ironman 70.3 Davao triathlon event was generally peaceful.
Police major Catherine Dela Rey, the spokesperson of the Davao City Police Office, said there were no significant criminal acts recorded for the duration of the event such as theft and robbery, missing items, and other concerns.
There were also no major incidents such as bomb threats, local terrorist threats, or gun incidents according to Public Safety and Security Command Office (PCSSO) head Angel Sumagaysay.
Both said the security cluster was able to follow the strict guidelines and stick to the safety and security plan to ensure that the event would run smoothly.
“The event organizers asked for coordination with the city government so they would know if there is a need for improvement for the event. We will just offer support. But on a scale of 1 to 10 sa akong tanaw, 9 ang atong security cluster (But for me, on a scale of 1 to 10, I would give our security cluster a 9 for their work),” Sumagaysay said during an interview on the Davao City Disaster Radio.
Sumagaysay and Dela Rey added that none of the participants and their families had concerns during the race weekend. However, they were a few spectators complaining about the event, including commuters and the general public.
The City Government of Davao and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board released the road closure guidelines for the event earlier this month and advised the public to plan their trips accordingly.
Dela Rey said there were still people who complained about the strict guidelines and the road closures because they could not move around or get to their destinations on time because of the race.
“Successful ta sa gi-implement na (We successfully implemented the) security measures. Pasensyahan na lang gyod nato kay mao man pud ang gipatuman na guidelines (We just have to understand the strict measures because those were the approved guidelines)” the spokesperson said.
Sumagaysay added, “The road closure was approved by the city government through an ordinance. Ang bottom line dinha maiwasan nato ang mga disgrasya pag ongoing ang race (It’s purpose is to avoid accidents while the race was ongoing).”
The IRONMAN 70.3 Davao triathlon race took place on March 24, 25, and 26 in Davao City and parts of Davao del Norte, namely Tagum City and the municipality of Carmen.
More than 5,000 security personnel were deployed for the event and a gun ban was implemented by the Police Regional Office Davao Region from March 20 until the end of the event.
As of today, some security measures are still in place to accommodate the athletes and tourists who are still in Davao City for leisure purposes after the race. ICM