Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Juanito Victor "Jonvic" Remulla commended the Philippine National Police (PNP) for maintaining law and order during the Christmas celebration in the country.
In his congratulatory message, Remulla gave credence to the PNP’s deployment of around 40,000 police officers in strategic areas, asserting that the move had enhanced police visibility and significantly aided in securing the public on the important occasion.
Remulla said the PNP's efforts yielded positive results as there was zero untoward incident reported on Christmas eve.
Meanwhile, Remulla exhorted the PNP to continue its heightened security measures and ensure public safety following the decision of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and New People’s Army (NPA) not to impose a holiday ceasefire.
“We support the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines in their non-declaration of Suspension of Offensive Police Operations (SOPO) and Suspension of Offensive Military Operations (SOMO) to prevent any untoward incident that may jeopardize our efforts in ensuring a peaceful holiday season," Remulla stressed.
“We assure the public that the DILG, together with the PNP and other law enforcement entities of the government, will remain vigilant to protect the public and our communities from those who will try to disturb the peace," he continued.