GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/ 27 Oct) — The city government is mobilizing around a thousand government personnel and local residents to provide security and manage road traffic in various parts of the city for “Undas” or the observance of All Saints Day and All Souls Day on November 1 and 2.
Luzvimi Entila Jr., acting chief of the City Public Information Office, said the move is based on the security and traffic management plan for the “2013 Undas” laid out by the local government in a meeting with local stakeholders on Thursday.
He said the meeting, which was presided by City Administrator Arnel Zapatos, focused on the finalization of the city’s preparations for the annual observance.
The preparations focused on the convergence of efforts of the barangays, city police, military, organized civilians, national government agencies and the city government, he said
“More or less a thousand personnel (will be) mobilized to provide heightened security in order to protect the life and properties as well as manage the traffic during the Undas,” he said in an advisory.
Senior Supt. Froilan Quidilla, city police director, will handle the overall supervision of the celebrations based on the adopted security and traffic management measures.
Col. Victor Tan, commander of the Army-led Joint Task Force GenSan, will assume as the deputy supervisor.
The operations will cover the nine public and private cemeteries that are situated in seven barangays within the city.
These are the barangays Conel, Tinagacan, Mabuhay, San Jose and Bawing public cemeteries; Antonio Acharon Memorial Park; Monte Cielo cemetery, Chinese cemetery and the Forest Lake Memorial Park.
In a presentation during the meeting, the city police has released traffic management maps for the nine cemeteries.
It said that among the measures adopted are the intensified enforcement of the liquor ban and prohibition on the carrying of firearms and bladed weapons.
Local traders were required to secure permits first from the barangays before they can operate their stalls at the cemeteries, it noted.
At the Antonio Acharon Memorial Park, which is the city’s biggest public cemetery, the city police will establish an assistance center and will jointly operate five assistance hubs with the Joint Task Force GenSan.
At the city’s biggest private cemetery — Forest Lake Memorial Park — the city police will establish three police assistance hubs and a police assistance center.
It will also deploy roving special weapons and tactics as well as explosives ordnance disposal teams at the vicinity of Forest Lake.
Aside from the cemeteries, the city police and the Joint Task Force GenSan will also provide security at the private and public transport terminals, shopping malls, churches, hotels, beaches, housing subdivisions and residential areas as well as government installations in the area. (MindaNews)