ICPO readies security plan for week-long Dinagyang
The Iloilo City Police Office is finalizing its security preparations for the Dinagyang festival set on the third week of January.
Chief Insp. Uldarico Garbanzos, chief of ICPO Operation Section, said so far 200 police personnel have been confirmed for deployment during the week-long festivities.
These forces will come from Police Regional Office 6, Public Safety Management Battalion in Negros Occidental, and Iloilo Police Provincial Office.
“Our deployment will be based on the activities of the foundation. We have already our security plans and we are just waiting for the final order,” Garbanzos said.
He said an undetermined numbers of force multipliers will assist the policemen, including cadets and cadettes of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, barangay tanods, volunteers of Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team, radio groups, and volunteer rescue groups.
Police personnel and force multipliers will take charge of the crowd control, intelligence monitoring, and frisking or random checking of suspicious packages, conduct checkpoints, and provide security back-ups.
Covert or plainclothes police personnel will also be deployed as part of the intelligence monitoring operations.
Garbanzos assured the public there will be policemen in every corner where the festivities are held.
For every judging area, 15 to 20 uniformed police personnel will be assigned.
Police assistance centers will also be established in nine cluster areas covered by the Dinagyang activities.*
