GOVT BRACES FOR HOLY WEEK EXODUS
MALACAÑANG on Sunday said that authorities will be closely watching airports, sea ports and bus terminals as thousands of Filipinos prepare to visit the provinces during the Holy Week break.
In an interview aired over state-run Radyo ng Bayan, Palace deputy spokesman Abigail Valte concerned authorities have put in place measures for the Holy Week exodus to ensure the safety of travelers.
She said that the Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Ports Authority and Philippine Coast Guard are among the agencies that devised security and safety measures.
“Most of the preparations for the Holy Week exodus are already in place. So we hope that everybody will be safe,” she added.
“Magtataas po ng mga ide- deploy ang MMDA ( Metro Manila Development Authority) at ‘ yung ating mga kapulisan para naman po mabigyan ng assistance ‘ yung mga lalabas ng Maynila at ‘ yung mga babalik din. We would be monitoring, as is our custom, ‘ yung mga bus terminals, ‘ yung mga seaports, mga airports, and all other
relevant places for the coming Holy Week,” Valte said.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will also remain vigilant during the entire Holy Week period.
“The AFP assured that it will continue to conduct its joint security operations with other security and law enforcement agencies particularly the PNP through the Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Centers (JPSCCs) situated all over the country,” military spokesman Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr. said on Sunday.
He explained that the decision to raise alert levels rests on the AFP’s unified commanders depending on their current assessment of the security conditions in their respective localities.
“They are fully responsible in making necessary security adjustments to ensure that the week-long commemoration is safe and secure for our people,” he said.
The Armed Forces, in support to the police, had been initiating proactive measures aimed at preventing any form of threats and violence which may hamper the observance of the Lenten season.
Burgos said the military will provide additional security contingencies like manpower, intelligence, explosive and ordnance disposal teams, K9 and medical teams if needed.
President Benigno Aquino 3rd earlier said that he will be checking security measures in different ports and bus terminals in Metro Manila during the Holy Week. He and Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya will inspect ports and bus terminals.
“(Transportation) Secretary (Joseph Emilio) Abaya and I will visit all the terminal ports, both air and sea, just to make sure that all our countrymen who will be going back to the provinces will have a safe trip,” the President said.
The AFP, he said, joins the whole Filipino Christendom in the holy and spiritual observance of the Lenten Season which signifies the Christian values of sacrifice, unconditional love and forgiveness.