NCRPO to deploy 10,000 cops for Undas 2022

Around 10,000 policemen are set to be deployed in Metro Manila to secure the observation of Undas or All Saints’ Day on November 1, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said Monday.

“We have 10,000 police personnel who will be deployed all over Metro Manila sa 80 na sementeryo [in 80 cemeteries] and 24 columbariums,” NCRPO spokesperson Police Lieutenant Colonel Dexter Versola said in an interview on GMA News’ Unang Balita.

Aside from the policemen, force multipliers would also be deployed, including personnel from local government units, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the Department of Health, among others.

The NCRPO, according to Versola, will provide maximum police visibility as part of its crime prevention strategy to secure the observation of Undas.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) earlier said it will increase the deployment of its personnel ahead of Undas with augmentation from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

PNP chief Police General Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said the additional deployment will be to areas where big crowds gather during the "ber" months, most of them in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon, as well as in Cebu, Davao, and Baguio.

Meanwhile, the respective managements of the Manila North and South cemeteries have already released a set of rules for those who would visit their departed loved ones on Undas.

Children aged 12 and below will now be allowed to enter the cemetery premises as long as they are vaccinated against COVID-19.

Senior citizens will also be permitted to enter the cemetery even though they are not vaccinated. —KBK, GMA News