ILOILO City – The 51st edition of the Dinagyang Festival was generally peaceful, according to the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO).
There were no “major crime incidents” during the two-day highlights on Jan. 26 (Kasadyahan cultural contest) and Jan. 27 (dagyang tribe dance competition), said Senior Inspector Shella Mae Sangrines, ICPO spokesperson.
The ICPO, however, recorded six petty crimes during the Kasadyahan.
These crimes were three cases of theft and three incidents of physical injury.
Also, no persons were caught violating the Commission on Elections (Comelec) gun ban.
“We were on top of the situation. There were no major incidents,” said Senior Superintendent Martin Defensor, city police director.
The deployment of “thousands of police and force multipliers” made this possible, he said.
But there were pesky problems, said Defensor, such as traffic congestion and obstructions on emergency lanes.
The ICPO mobilized 3,600 police personnel and 4,000 force multipliers to keep the Dinagyang peaceful.
According to Sangrines, 25,000 local and foreign tourists witnessed the festival.
“We are thankful. The crowds were cooperative with the police,” she said./PN
