By: Jennifer P. Rendon
Western Visayas was relatively peaceful during All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2, 2019, respectively.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Joem Malong, Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) spokesperson, said the observance was generally peaceful as crime volume went down.
This year, police recorded 122 incidents against 211 in 2018, or a decrease of 42.18 percent.
The eight focus crimes – murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft, and carnapping/ motorcycle theft – also ebbed by 46.42 percent, from 28 incidents in 2018 to 15 cases in 2019.
Police did not monitor robbery, motor napping, and carnapping incidents.
Meanwhile, theft cases posted an 88.88 percent decrease and rape decreased by 20 percent.
Malong cited the strict implementation of Oplan Ligtas Undas 2019 as key for a peaceful Undas observance.
“It is strengthened by the conduct of security measures such as, intensified police presence in major thoroughfares, public utility transport terminals, Hi-pads, and border control operations,” Malong said.
They also intensified intelligence monitoring against local communist terrorists and other threat groups that might take advantage of the situation and disrupt the observance.
For the two-day observance, PRO-6 deployed 3,026 police personnel and 6,897 force multipliers.
It also activated Reactionary Standby Support Force ready for deployment at the city, provincial, and regional headquarters level.
Malong said they also deployed road safety marshals in major thoroughfares and in strategic locations leading to and from cemeteries, terminals, malls, others.
PRO-6 also initiated target-hardening measures to ensure security of vital installations, government/private projects and other undertakings; and conduct of checkpoint operations and security patrols in residential areas to prevent break-ins, among others.
Police personnel also enforced prohibited acts/practices inside the cemetery which led to the confiscation of 100 bladed weapons.
Meanwhile, PRO-6 estimated that around 687,783 individuals visited the 398 cemeteries in the region.
