ILOILO City – The first day of Simbang Gabi hereyesterday was peaceful, according to Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) director Police Colonel Eric Dampal.
There were no Simbang Gabi-related crimes.
“Our deployment of personnel and hundreds of force multipliers were effective. We have zero incidents in our churches,” Dampal said.
The ICPO mobilized over 200 police personnel to keep the nine-day (Dec. 16-24) Simbang Gabi peaceful.
The force multipliers included barangay tanods.
There were policemen inside and outside churches. But they do not only maintain peace and order; they also enforce public health safety protocols to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019. These are the wearing of facemasks and face shields, and physical distancing.
Dampal also commended churches for limiting the number of persons entering.
“Talagang malaki ang naitutulong…kasi ang mga kawatan hindi agad-agad maka-commit ng crime,” Dampal said./PN
