BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO & JEN BAYLON
ILOILO City – At least 8,607 strong Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel, force multipliers and other government forces are deployed to ensure the safety of the public during the Dinagyang Festival 2024.
A sendoff ceremony was held at the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 25, and led by Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) director Brigadier General Sidney Villaflor and Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) director Colonel Joeresty Coronica.
Of the number, 4,086 were police personnel including the augmentation force from PRO-6, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency 6 (PDEA-6), Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Fire Protection 6, and Regional Maritime Unit 6 (RMU-6).
A total of 4,521 force multipliers, including cadet officers from the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps representing different universities in the city, will also assist the authorities.
“We are ready to secure the spectators who would witness the 2024 Dinagyang Festival. We have huge volume of police personnel and other government forces who were already deployed,” Coronica said.
He added that the presence and active participation of the government forces and force multipliers underscore the commitment of law enforcement agencies to ensure the safety and security of participants and spectators during the much-anticipated festival.
There will be 24-hour checkpoint in all entrance and exit points, and Coronica stressed that pointed objects and backpacks are not allowed in the city.
The ICPO also reminded the public that the 10-day gun ban for Dinagyang is enforced until 12:01 a.m. of Jan. 29.
Villaflor, meanwhile, created the Site Task Group Dinagyang 2024 (SSTG-2024) to monitor the peace and order situation and the deployment of personnel in various areas in the city.
It has three main operating site sub-task groups: SSTG Security, SSTG Peace and Order and SSTG Emergency Preparedness and Response.
Moreover, the RMU-6 will utilize its high speed tactical water craft to be manned by six personnel and two jet skis to be manned by three personnel.
“We deployed our maximum personnel to secure our festival kag gamiton naton ang 2 jet skis kag aton water craft to help monitor kun may ara man nga grupo sang lawless elements nga manggamo sang aton festival,” said Colonel Ervin Glenn Provido, RMU-6 director./PN
