Police: All Saints' Day 'peaceful'
MANILA -- The Philippine National Police (PNP) said the traditional observance of All Saints' Day this year was generally "peaceful" after hundreds of thousands of Filipinos flocked to the cemeteries to pay respects to their dearly departed.
Director General Nicanor Bartolome, PNP chief, expressed contentment over the orderly "Undas" commemoration as no significant untoward incident during the customary holiday was reported by regional police directors.
"I am satisfied with the overall outcome of our security operations for Undas 2012 and I extend the congratulations of President Benigno S. Aquino III and Secretary Mar Roxas to all 148,000 officers and men of the PNP for another job well done," said Bartolome.
Bartolome attributed the generally peaceful and orderly situation to the advance preparations laid-out by PNP units to ensure safety of motorists, commuters and other members of the public.
In Metro Manila, for instance, the entire 18,000 personnel of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) were on duty at different cemeteries, police assistance hubs, roads, terminals, and residential areas in the metropolis.
Bartolome also instructed the Highway Patrol Group and all provincial and regional heads of police offices to establish road assistance centers for motorists and deploy route safety marshals.
Security and police visibility were also intensified in various convergence areas such as churches, malls, transport terminals and train stations.
Bartolome and NCRPO chief Leonardo Espina themselves visited public transport terminals and cemeteries this week to personally assess the situation on the ground.
The police officials inspected bus terminals in the cities of Quezon and Pasay, the Manila North and South Cemeteries, Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina, and the Terminals 2 and 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Espina reported no serious untoward incident in Metro Manila after over a million people converged at several cemeteries.
Police estimated that 1.1 million people flocked to the Manila North Cemetery on Thursday while 50,000 visited the Manila South Cemetery. About 90,000 visitors were reported at the Manila Memorial Park, 16,000 at Loyola Marikina and 22,000 at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
The PNP has since gone to full alert for this year's All Saints' Day while Bartolome instructed police unit commanders to remain in their posts to assist Filipinos returning from their provinces after the four-day break.
'Undas' vehicular accidents
While no major untoward incident was monitored by the police, some vehicular accidents were reported during the All Saints' Day.
On Thursday morning, a multiple vehicle collision involving four private cars and a passenger bus occurred at KM 57+200 of the North Luzon Expressway at the vicinity of Barangay Sta. Monica, San Simon, Pampanga.
At least seven people were hurt and were brought to the Mother Teresa of Calcutta Hospital in San Fernando City.
In Quezon Province, four persons were injured when a private vehicle bumped to a 10-wheeler truck along Quirino Highway. The victims were brought to the Lourdes Eleazar Memorial District Hospital for medical attention.
Two persons were also injured in a motorcycle accident caused by overspeeding at Lower Lanote, Isabela City, Basilan. One person also sustained a laceration in the forehead in a vehicular accident in Pila, Laguna. (Emmanuel Louis Bacani/Sunnex)