The Philippine National Police in Negros Oriental is now on full alert status with the upcoming observance of All Saints’ Day on Nov. 1 and All Souls’ Day on Nov. 2, said provincial police director Sr. Supt. Edward Carranza.
According to Sr. Supt. Carranza, the PNP will set up at least 65 public safety assistance centers at the entrance of public and private cemeteries in the province for this yearly traditional religious observance to avert any crimes.
Additional police personnel are also on stand-by for immediate deployment when necessary, while security measures are also being adopted in places like bus terminals, sea ports and the airport, he added.
Tarpaulins will be erected in strategic locations to inform the public of the nearest police assistance center as well as PNP hotline numbers to call.
People are expected to be flocking to their home provinces as early as Friday for the long weekend, especially as President Benigno Simeon Aquino III has declared October 31 as a special non-working holiday to allow family and friends to remember their dead loved ones. November 1 is also a regular non-working holiday as practiced in the past.
Also, effective Friday, the Negros Oriental PNP Office will deploy tourist police in Dumaguete and the nearby towns of Sibulan and San Jose, Carranza added.
Barangay tanods, police auxiliary units, and traffic management personnel are also tapped to assist the police in maintaining peace and order and ensuring a smooth flow of traffic during the traditional observance of the Day of the Dead. (PNA/JFP)