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ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/15 April) – Police and military authorities have beefed up local security to ensure the protection of Catholic faithful who are expected to flock to the Mayor Cesar Climaco Freedom Park in Mount Abong-Abong for a Holy Week pilgrimage.
Senior Supt. Angelito Casimiro, Zamboanga City police officer-in-charge, disclosed Tuesday that over 100 policemen will be deployed to the park to augment the presence there of police station 7.
Casimiro said the augmentation force will come from the Police Regional Office-9 headquarters and Regional Special Training Unit.
He said station 7 commander Supt. Concordio Apolonio, Jr. has been designated as the ground commander since the park is within the latter’s area of jurisdiction.
Mount Abong-Abong belongs to Barangay Pasonanca.
Lt. Col. Alberto Valencia, Task Force Zamboanga deputy commander, said they will deploy troops to complement the police forces providing security to pilgrims at the park.
Valencia said the troops would come from the Marine Battalion Landing Team-3 and the Army’s 12th Division Reconnaissance Company.
Thousands of Catholic faithful would converge at the park during Holy Week. Many of them would spend the night of Maundy Thursday in the park and go home in the afternoon of Good Friday after the reading of the Last Seven Words. (MindaNews)