Wednesday, January 9, 2013
THERE will be no permits granted for street parties during the Sinulog celebration on Jan. 20.
Parties will be allowed inside the barangay complex or gym but the police will monitor street gatherings, said Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) officer-in-charge Mariano Natuel yesterday.
“The sound system will be confiscated from those who will have intolerable sounds on the streets that day,” said Natuel after meeting with the Cebu City Police Coordinating and Advisory Council (PCAC).
He said they want to ensure peace and security during the celebration.
Problem areas
“In the past, when we would ask people attending street parties to keep it down, the organizers would say they have a permit. This time, they won’t have an excuse but to heed us,” he said in Cebuano.
He said his men will closely monitor Juana Osmeña St. and Imus Road since these areas are known for street parties with a high crime rate last year.
“We cannot prevent everyone from drinking and having fun or even dancing, but they should learn how to control their behavior,” Natuel said.
He said they expect some four million revelers to attend the celebration this year, up from 3.5 million last year.
He said they’ve requested 500 additional police personnel to complement the 1,000 personnel that the CCPO and the Police Regional Office 7 will each deploy as well as the 99 field training police.
Natuel said they will conduct a dry run on Jan. 14 so the deployed personnel will know where they will be stationed on Jan. 20.
Ongoing probe
He said security will be beefed up starting Jan. 10 until the awarding ceremonies on Jan. 21.
Natuel was formally introduced to the PCAC yesterday and was apprised of the P1.7-million theft at the Sinulog Foundation Inc. (SFI) office last year.
PCAC presiding officer Eugene Elizalde hopes Natuel can solve the crime almost a year after the money was taken from the vault inside the Cebu City Sports Center where SFI has an office.
The follow-up investigation didn’t yield any results and the complaint filed against a security guard was dismissed.
Elizalde said the PCAC has been pressuring the CCPO to solve the matter and Natuel assured that the incident won’t happen again.
-from SUNSTAR Cebu