PNP says observance of All Saints’ Day generally peaceful, orderly

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Friday deemed the Filipinos' observance of All Saints' Day across the country as generally peaceful and orderly.

"The PNP finds the situation to be generally peaceful and orderly nationwide," PNP spokesman Police Brigadier General Bernard Banac said in a statement.

Banac assured the public that the police would maintain its alertness and vigilance, adding that the PNP is ready to respond to any call for assistance and prevent the occurrence of crimes.

The PNP official expressed gratitude to the public for their cooperation in maintaining discipline in all places of convergence.

Earlier today, Police Brigadier General Debold Sinas, acting director of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), inspected cemeteries across the metro and he noted that district directors have not reported any untoward incident to him.

"We are prepared for Undas. We are very happy, everything is in order and all our personnel were deployed in the area... so again we appeal to the public to maintain good atmosphere of Undas 2019," Sinas said at a press conference.

Sinas believes the road clearing operations of local government units have helped in maintaining peace and order during All Saints' Day, citing the case of the City of Manila.

"Hindi kami nahirapan... smooth flowing na unlike before, last year nakita namin sa video dami talagang tao shoulder to shoulder ang pinakamarami namang sinira is 'yung North eh," Sinas said.

"Karamihan sa ibang sementeryo, sa South at sa Loyola saka La Loma, medyo okay din. Konting push na lang, clear na ang mga way at walang nakaparada," Sinas added.

In Manila North Cemetery,  no major untoward incident was reported except for one visitor who was arrested for sneaking in some bottles of alcoholic beverage. The crowd inside the cemetery reached more or less 640,000.

'Reflective aspect'

Church officials in Asia's Catholic outpost emphasized the reflective aspect of the day, insisting people interested only in "drinking, merry-making, chatting" do so elsewhere.

"If you're going there just merely for a reunion, without praying for the dead, it defeats the purpose," said Father Jerome Secillano, spokesman for the nation's Catholic Bishops' conference.

The annual pilgrimage to the cemeteries triggers a mass exodus from the capital, with millions travelling back to their home provinces where relatives are buried.

Bus stations, airports and roadways were thick with travelers, while police were deployed in large numbers across the country.

Police deployment

The PNP has deployed more than 35,000 policemen nationwide to ensure the orderliness of the observance of holidays. The cops were assisted by more or less 99,000 force multipliers.

The policemen and other volunteers ensured peace and order in major highways, cemeteries, terminals, seaports, airports and other places of convergence across the country.

Police Lieutenant General Archie Francisco Gamboa, PNP's officer-in-charge, has placed the entire police organization under full alert status last Monday. — with Agence France-Presse/RSJ, GMA News