BY PATRICIA ESTOYA, University of Antique Intern
ANTIQUE – The Antique Police Provincial Office (APPO) assured that their personnel are ready for the Holy Week.
According to Police Lieutenant Colonel Willy D. Diel, chief of the Provincial Community Affairs and Development Unit of APPO, the augmentation personnel from APPO will help ensure the security of the public this Holy Week as well as the Tiringbanay Festival in the municipality of San Jose de Buenavista.
He said they also intensified police visibility in places of convergence and tourist spots across the province.
Additionally, mobile police forces are currently being deployed at the boundaries of towns to conduct checkpoints.
Diel added that to alleviate road accidents and other incidents, all municipal police stations in the province were requested to conduct community engagements by distributing crime prevention flyers.
Earlier, the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) said they are enforcing maximum police visibility for the security of the local and foreign tourists as well as pilgrims with the deployment of around 9,000 police officers around Panay Island.
It said cops will be deployed in strategic and critical areas of convergence such as churches, ports, terminals, malls, and various tourist spots.
Likewise, police assistance desks will be established in these areas to ensure the safety and security of everyone.
“Our deployment is in coordination and collaboration with the local government units and other concerned government agencies. Moreover, supporting us are the barangay officials, tanods, and other force multipliers,” said Police Brigadier General Jack L. Wanky, PRO-6 director.
Also, there will be police personnel conducting foot and mobile patrols, checkpoints and other law enforcement operations.
“As we celebrate this Lenten season, it is expected that majority of the people will be travelling to different religious sites, visit churches and other landmark areas. Some will be travelling to their hometowns and tourist destinations for rest and leisure. In view of this, we recommend that the traveling public acquaint themselves with and save the hotline numbers of the police and other government agencies in the areas they are visiting for immediate assistance when the need arises,” Wanky added./PN
