PREPARATIONS are underway to secure the upcoming Holy Week activities at Catholic churches, where devotees gather, according to the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO).
The authorities also remind residents to have someone watch their homes if they travel to their hometowns and cautioned against sharing their travel itinerary on social media.
CCPO’s deputy city director for operations, Lt. Col. Janette Rafter, said they have a list of churches and other sites where religious events will take place and where police officers will be stationed.
Among these is the Celestial Garden in Sitio Banawa, Barangay Guadalupe, where Catholics swarm to perform the Stations of the Cross.
“Kadtong mga templates nato nga gipractice last year and the previous years pa gyud is the same also nga among ibutang karon, although there will be some innovation but, definitely, the innovation is the improvement of services,” Rafter emphasized.
(The templates we practiced last year and in the previous years are the same ones we will use this year; while there will be some innovation, it will undoubtedly be in the form of improved services).
According to Rafter, CCPO Director Col. Ireneo Dalogdog has instructed the police to maintain strict security at the Celestial Garden.
Rafter said that starting March 25, Holy Monday, roving police officers will be stationed at every church to keep an eye on the Visita Iglesia.
The CCPO will also set up police assistance stations at bus terminals and ports since they expect a surge of both domestic and foreign tourists to visit Cebu City.
Rafter said they will also provide tourists with safety advice on how to enjoy a worry-free trip to Cebu City and the province.
Aside from Cebu City’s churches and other places of worship, they will also guard the shopping centers.
Tourist police have been instructed to bolster their presence at popular tourist spots in the city, including Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño, Fort San Pedro and in the mountains.
Even though they did not receive any security threats from the intelligence community, the police requested the public’s help in monitoring their surroundings to prevent becoming victims of criminal activity. / AYB, TPT