The Philippine National Police (PNP) said it would double its deployment of law enforcers during the Christmas season to ensure the public’s safety and security.
PNP chief Police General Camilo Pancratius Cascolan said cases of criminality and even terrorism could spike during the holidays.
“We will. Automatic na ‘yan, but we have to rationalize the deployment of our forces. When we say proper deployment of our forces and resources, kailangan natin ‘yung mga lugar talaga na kailangan ang pulis hindi lang ‘yung basta basta mo nilagay ang pulis diyan. Dapat alam din ng pulis ang ginagawa niya, ano rin ang hinahanap niya,” Cascolan said.
“You know what Christmas really means. There will be a lot of… there might be an upsurge of criminality or even terrorism. That’s why we need to prepare for all these things,” he added.
The mayors in Metro Manila had recommended extending the general community quarantine in their localities until the end of the year to sustain the continuous improvement in their COVID-19 situation.
Metro Manila Council (MMC) chairman and Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez earlier said that Metro Manila residents would still attend Christmas tradition “Simbang Gabi” as local government units shorten the curfew hours in the capital region from 12 am to 3 am starting December 1.
Olivarez said that the MMC also recommended the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases to ease the curfew hours in Metro Manila current 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. into 12 a.m. to 4 a.m. before further easing it in December.