PALO, Leyte – Eastern Visayas has observed a generally peaceful Christmas celebration as no major untoward incident was recorded in the region, a report from Police Regional Office 8 (PRO 8) based in Camp Ruperto Kangleon, barangay Campetic, this town said on Monday.
PRO 8 Regional Director Brig. Gen. Ronaldo F. De Jesus, told the Manila Bulletin that he ordered the establishment of Police Assistance Desks (PADs) in all places of convergence beginning the traditional 9-day “Misa de Gallo” to ensure peace and order.
De Jesus said his office also deployed more than 3,000 police officers in the field, which was augmented with the force multiplier in the local government units all over the region.
“This was made possible in coordination with other concerned Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs), Local Government Units (LGUs), and volunteer groups,” De Jesus said.
He reported that the Regional Reactionary Standby Support Force (RRSSF), Quick Response Teams (QRTs), Critical Incident Management Task Group (CIMTG), and Disaster Incident Management Task Group (DIMTG) were also activated.
He added that the Medical Reserve Force (MRF) and Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Canine Group (EOD/K9) were deployed to detect the presence of contrabands while the Road Safety Marshals were also placed in major thoroughfares to prevent traffic congestion. Accordingly, the Regional Civil Security Unit (RCSU) 8 inspected security guards stationed in malls to ensure their implementation of the peace and security measures. “All these deployments were randomly inspected by the Regional Internal Affairs (RIAS) 8, as directed by the Chief PNP, Gen. Debold M. Sinas,” De Jesus said.
In line with the operational guidelines on “Ligtas Paskuhan 2020,” De Jesus ordered the strict adherence of the public to the minimum health protocols set forth by the Department of Health in order to contain the spread of COVID-19.
“The success of the Yuletide celebration was made possible through the public’s vigilance and cooperation. I am glad that PRO 8 was not able to monitor lawless activities which could have disrupted the observance of a peaceful and orderly Christmas,” De Jesus said.