MORE than 600 police personnel and force multipliers composed of members of Task Force Kasaligan will be deployed in Metro Cebu on Monday, February 27, 2023, to secure the visit of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
Marcos will attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the long-overdue Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in Cebu City.
According to Colonel Ireneo Dalogdog, Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) director, 500 uniformed personnel will be stationed along the roads and serve as area security. They will be joined by 150 personnel from the Regional Mobile Force Battalion, which is headed by Colonel Ronan Claravall.
Aside from the Fuente Osmeña Rotunda, the President will also go to the Capitol compound and the South Road Properties (SRP).
Dalogdog said members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) will protect the President inside the rotunda, while personnel of the CCPO will be assigned outside the Capitol compound and personnel of the Cebu Police Provincial Office will be inside the compound.
On Sunday, February 26, police and the PSG conducted a security check along Osmeña Boulevard.
“Duna tay walk through nga pagahimuon sa Fuente Osmeña, sa SRP pud kay kini maoy mga area nga adtuon sa Presidente. Wala ta mo kompyansa bisan naay daghang police. Ato gyud sigurohon nga secure si PBBM,” Dalogdog said.
(We will conduct a walk through at Fuente Osmeña and at the SRP since the President will be at both places. Even though there will be many police personnel on the streets we will not drop our guard. We will ensure the President will be secure during his visit.)
One of the concerns raised during the coordinating conference with members of the Presidential Management Staff, Police Regional Office in Central Visayas and the PSG was the buildings near the venues.
He said he expects many people to show up for the groundbreaking ceremony, which will be attended by several government officials from Central Visayas.
The CCPO director said that although they didn’t receive any threats against the President, they didn’t discount the possibility that members of militant groups might stage protests. (AYB)