PNP goes on heightened alert for Holy Week celebration

By Ronron
April 2, 2007

The Philippine National Police (PNP) went on heightened alert on Monday noon for the Holy Week celebration.

PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Samuel Pagdilao, Jr. said PNP chief Dir. Gen. Oscar Calderon said the second of three alert levels took effect at 12 noon “to ensure the availability of personnel and resources for police security and public safety operations during the traditional observance of the Holy Week.”

“Our job is to make sure that the people will be safe and secure while enjoying the Lenten holiday,” Calderon said in a statement.

“The upgrading of the alert level is aimed at maximizing effectiveness of security measures in airports, seaports, land transport terminals, major thoroughfares, and traditional retreat destinations and resort zones,” he added.

If necessary, Calderon said the different regional directors can further upgrade the alert status in their areas of responsibility to the highest level.

The PNP has launched Operation Plan (OPLAN) Lakbay Tulong “to ensure a safe and uneventful observance of the Holy Week when most people go home to the provinces or vacation destinations for the long holidays.”

In a separate news conference at Camp Crame, PNP Traffic Management Group (TMG) Director Chief Supt. Errol Pan said that the entire force under him will be on 24-hour duty nationwide starting Monday.

Pan said the more than 1,000 TMG personnel will not be allowed to go on leave from work so they could provide “traffic assistance” and perform “anti-criminality, anti-hijacking and anti-carnapping” functions to the public.

He said the TMG’s Oplan SUMVAC (Summer Vacation) takes effect Monday until Easter Sunday.

“This is in preparation for the movement of vacationers, those who will go home to the provinces or the cities, which happens yearly, in coordination with civic groups, (and) gasoline corporations that set up assistance centers along the national highways,” Pan said.

For monitoring purposes in Metro Manila, he said the TMG will use 16 motorcycles that were used by the PNP during the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit last January in Cebu, as well as their eight mobile cars.

Pan said the TMG personnel will be visible along EDSA, at the Southern Luzon Expressway, and Northern Luzon Expressway.

“We also provided additional services along the national highways. In fact, the TMG nationwide is being mobilized for this purpose, in all regions, throughout the archipelago,” he said.

This Catholic-dominated country celebrates the culmination of the Lenten Season starting Holy Wednesday until Easter Sunday, in observance of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The religious activity has been traditionally marked with long holidays. But for this year, the vacation extends until Monday next week as the country celebrates the Araw ng Kagitingan./DMS