[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’POLICE READY FOR DUTERTE Signal jamming at 3 MassKara festival sites ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY MAE SINGUAY
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
Friday, October 20, 2017
[/av_textblock]
[av_textblock size=’18’ font_color=” color=”]
BACOLOD City – “We are prepared.”
Security measures for the arrival of President Rodrigo Duterte on Oct. 22 – the highlight of the 38th MassKara Festival – are now in place, according to the deputy director for operations of the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6).
“Just this morning, we conducted a ‘walk through,’ meaning the officers were deployed to their respective areas of assignment” starting 5 o’clock, Senior Superintendent Jesus Cambay Jr. explained yesterday.
City Administrator John Orola confirmed that Duterte will arrive on Oct. 22.
The Presidential Management Staff and the police led by Cambay met yesterday at the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC), Orola said.
Due to the prevailing weather, they cannot determine what time exactly the President will arrive, Orola said.
“But the expectation is that he (Duterte) is here to close or witness the [MassKara] Festival,” said Orola. “We also expect him to watch at least one [street dancing] performer, depending on his available time.”
A tent will be set up at the stage to protect the President and the visitors in case it rains while the street dancing competition is ongoing at the city public plaza, said the city administrator.
Rain or shine, the participants will perform, Orola said.
Firearms are prohibited during the festival. The gun ban in the entire city started midnight of Oct. 17 and will end 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 23, said Chief Superintendent Cesar Hawthorne Binag, PRO-6 director.
Police have not yet recorded any violation of the gun ban as of Wednesday afternoon.
Binag discouraged revelers from bringing backpacks, deadly weapons, pointed objects, and other contraband items at the three festival sites – public plaza, Tourism Strip on Lacson Street and the BCGC.
The National Telecommunications Commission has also approved the police’s request to shut down cellular network services at the festival sites at certain times from Oct. 19 to 22, Cambay said.
Based on the request, signal jamming at the BCGC is from 8 p.m. to 12 midnight on Oct. 19-22; at the public plaza, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Oct. 20-22; and the Tourism Strip, 8 p.m. to 12 midnight on Oct. 20-22.
A total of 4,365 police officers, soldiers and volunteers were deployed on Monday to secure the festival sites over the weekend. A total of 410 additional officers from the PRO-6 were deployed to the city on Thursday.
Teams from Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Fire Protection, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, and Emergency Response Team of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office are also beefing up security.
An explosive and ordnance disposal team from the Philippine National Police headquarters was also dispatched to the city. (With a report from PNA/PN)
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
