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Police assistance desk at San Jose Parish Church |
PAGADIAN
CITY, Zamboanga del Sur, April 2 (PNA) – The police in coordination with the
Army’s 53rd Infantry Battalion have tightened the security measures to ensure
the protection of the catholic faithful during the Holy Week activities.
Supt.
Glenn Dulawan, city police chief, said that he assigned policemen at churches,
including the Sto. Niño Cathedral, that are the centers of the religious
activities from Maundy Thursday until Easter Sunday.
The
other churches that are center of the religious activities aside from the
Cathedral are the parish Church of San Jose, Balangasan, and San Pedro.
Dulawan
said the detailed policemen are backed by Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD)
team.
Dulawan
said that soldiers were also deployed in the different areas of this city.
He
said policemen and EOD team were deployed at the Integrated Bus Terminal to
ensure the safety of the passengers from and to the neighboring cities of
Cotabato, Dipolog, Iligan, Ozamis, and Zamboanga.
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Sto Niño Cathedral entrance |
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Sto. Niño Cathedral Entrance |
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Pagadian City Integrated Bus Terminal (IBT) |
He
said they did not discount the possibility of spill over of incidents since
there were on-going law enforcement operations in the neighboring provinces
although this city was relatively peaceful.
He
also warned against the conduct of gambling activities such as clandestine
cockfight citing Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are for religious activities
and not for gambling.
Meanwhile,
Senior Supt. Sofronio Ecladre, provincial police director, said checkpoints
were also established along the highways leading to this province.
Ecaldre
said the setting of checkpoints was in anticipation of any diversionary tactics
the lawless elements might initiate since they were continuously being pursued
in the nearby provinces. (PNA)
RMA/TPGJR/HIROHITO D. CADION