LACANO (Butuan City Police Office FB)
BUTUAN CITY – Twelve-thousand Catholic devotees are expected to join the annual Panaad Via Crucis 2026 or Way of the Cross pilgrimage in this city on Good Friday.
They are expected to trek about five kilometers on a mountainside road in Barangay Anticala with the 14 Stations of the Cross.
The Butuan City Police Office is leading security for the religious event.
“About 400 personnel will be deployed from the BCPO and more than 200 personnel from the police mobile forces, including force multipliers, will be mobilized for the religious event,” said BCPO Director Police Col. Restituto P. Lacano Jr.
They are backed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Regional Mobile Force Battalion, PRO-13 Public Information Office chief Police Major Jennifer S. Ometer said.
Non-government organizations such as the Balanghai Eagles Club are supporting the event.
Lacano said coordination meetings are being conducted to strengthen security measures for the safety of devotees.
“Our main objective here is the safety of all participants,” Lacano said, adding, “our safety depends on everyone’s collective action and solidarity.”
He called on the public to remain vigilant and actively cooperate with police and other law enforcement agencies in maintaining peace and order.