SAN JOSE, Antique – The provincial police office here recently started setting up public assistance desks (PADs) in places expected to have influx of tourists – as part of its campaign for “Ligtas Kapaskuhan 2019.”
“There are PADs that are set up in different areas with the police aiming for a zero-crime incident in the province,” Staff Sergeant John Mark Gonzaga, assistant public information officer of the Antique Provincial Police Office (APPO), said on Thursday.
The PADS were established in malls, churches and various places of convergence in time for the Binirayan Festival on Dec 15 to 30 and various tourist spots in the municipalities like Pandan where the Malumpati Spring is located.
Binirayan Festival is the annual provincial festival celebrating the arrival of the 10 Bornean datus who established their first barangay in the country along Malandog River in this capital town.
Gonzaga said aside from PADs, they are also distributing fliers on anti-criminality information to the communities.
“The fliers contain cellphone numbers for public coordination with the police to prevent crimes,” he added.
With the Binirayan Festival, they were expecting police augmentation from the Police Regional Office 6 and from various municipal police stations in the province, he said.
Earlier, APPO Deputy Director for Operations Lieutenant Colonel Norby Escobar warned the public against snatchers or “budol-budol” who might take advantage of the Christmas season and the upcoming Binirayan Festival.
Escobar said victims should immediately ask for assistance from police officers assigned at their respective PADs for help.
He added the PADs in the mall will be manned by at least three police officers who will be there after New Year’s Day.(With a report from PNA/PN)
