POLICE officers have been deployed by the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) in places of convergence in Metro Manila, especially in bus terminals, churches and shopping malls, to ensure the safety of people during the observation of the Holy Week.
During the Laging Handa public briefing, NCRPO chief Maj. Gen. Felipe Natividad said they began deploying the policemen during the weekend but could not immediately say how many were sent out.
“We started deployment of our PNP personnel to bus terminals, places of convergence like churches, including malls. We included the malls because during Holy Week, except Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, people go to the malls especially on Saturday,” said Natividad.
Natividad said the NCRPO is on full alert during the Holy Week to ensure the safety of the people, including from thieves that may take advantage of the season.
Natividad said policemen will be visible in these areas where he said crimes occur during the Holy week.
He said checkpoints will be set up to serve as deterrent to criminal elements.
“We’ve deployed personnel in these areas. Our assets, even our motorcycle riding units and patrols cars, we are going to deploy them to these areas,” he said.
Asked if they have monitored any specific threat, Natividad said: “So far there is none, we have not received any threat, we have not received any information about it.”
Nevertheless, Natividad said “we are not bringing our guards down.”
“We really don’t have an impending threat although we expect pickpockets will be around since we’re already under Alert Level 1 (COVID-19) status. They might take advantage (of the eased restrictions) so we deployed policemen throughout Metro Manila,” he said.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said the implementation of the Modified Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program, or the modified number coding scheme, will be suspended starting Holy Tuesday until Good Friday.
Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are considered regular holidays.
“Automatic na lifted ang modified number coding scheme tuwing holidays (The modified number coding scheme is automatically lifted during holidays),” the MMDA said on its official Twitter account.
The modified number-coding scheme is being implemented from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. to ease traffic congestion.
The Metro Manila Council, the policy-making body of the MMDA composed of the 17 Metro mayors, approved in November last year the reimposition of the traffic scheme but modified the coverage of the prohibition on private vehicles only during the late afternoon to early evening rush hours.
Vehicles with plate numbers ending in 1 and 2 are prohibited on Mondays, 3 and 4 on Tuesdays, 5 and 6 on Wednesdays, 7 and 8 on Thursdays, 9 and 0 on Fridays.
Exempted from the scheme are public utility vehicles, transportation network vehicle services, motorcycles, garbage trucks, fuel trucks, motor vehicles carrying essential and perishable goods. — With Ashzel Hachero
