THE Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) has not recorded any major incidents from morning to night on Valentine’s Day on February 14, 2024, which also happened during the observance of Ash Wednesday.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Janette Rafter, the CCPO's deputy director for operations, claimed that several police personnel were stationed in areas where lovers congregated as well as in Catholic churches during the day.
Rafter said she noticed more people at the restaurants and shopping centers at night, where they proceeded to eat after receiving ashes over their foreheads.
Rafter acknowledged that the intense nighttime traffic congestion was the only issue they had seen.
According to Rafter, traffic congestion began early in the morning outside the churches and it got worse when people started heading to restaurants and malls at night.
"Morning and Afternoon ang bul-og sa atung traffic nadungan man gud ni ang Ash Wednesday ug Valentine’s Day," Rafter stated.
(There was traffic congestion in the morning and afternoon, due to Ash Wednesday and Valentine's Day falling on the same day).
The CCPO thanked the couples for heeding their advice and not going on dates in dimly lit areas. (With TPT)