Puerto Princesa City’s Anti-Crime Task Force (ACTF) did not monitor any untoward incidents during the opening of classes, City Information Officer Richard Ligad said.
Ligad, who also heads the ACTF, said that in terms of preparedness, they were able to monitor different schools in the city proper, especially those with a large number of students.
“Nakapaghanda naman tayo kasi yung dating routine ng anti-crime, may mga school tayong tinitingnan na kung saan, doon sila nagpo-posting at umiikot,” he said in an interview with the media.
Schools that the ACTF closely monitored included Palawan State University’s elementary department and other schools that are along the national highway in Barangays San Miguel (Mateo Jagmis Memorial Elementary School); San Pedro (Santos Lanzanas Memorial Elementary School); San Jose (F. Ubay Memorial Elementary School); and Tiniguiban Elementary School.
“May mga school tayong tinitingnan, lalo na yung mga high schools kasi madalas nandyan yung mga tarumol. Yung mga tinatawag nating pabaho-baho, nasa labas kaya sinisiguro natin na makauwi ng maayos yung mga estudyante,” he explained.
He said the volume of traffic also increased in these areas, so they deployed additional traffic enforcers.
“Binabantayan yung mga school sa kabayanan na nagbo-bottle neck yung traffic lalo na sa PSU sa bayan, Pilot school at sa East Central School, at yung Hope, although private pero pag hindi inalalayan ay nagkakabuhol-buhol yung traffic,” he said.
Ligad also said he will personally make rounds on Tuesday to monitor the situation at schools. He will check on the vendors who sometimes position themselves near the gate, which causes additional traffic.
“Hindi naman natin sila pinagbabawalang magtinda pero kung minsan, nakakadagdag sila sa pagsikip ng daloy ng traffic. Lalo na yung iba pumupwesto halos sa gate na ng paaralan, yun ang binabawal natin. So sana magkaroon sila ng tamang pwesto nang sa ganun, hindi sila makasagabal sa volume ng mga sasakyan,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Palawan Police Provincial Office (PPPO) deployed over 500 personnel in different municipalities under its Oplan Balik-Eskwela program.
PPPO spokesperson Police Major Ric Ramos said the deployment was ordered by Provincial Director Police Colonel Carlito Narag Jr. to all the chiefs of police and its forward bases in the province of Palawan to intensify police intervention to prevent and suppress the occurrence of crimes like physical injuries, pickpocketing, snatching, and other forms of robbery and theft targeting students, teachers, parents, and guardians.
“The safety of our students and teachers remains paramount as they return to school. We are appealing to the public to cooperate and take part in maintaining law and order. They can report to the nearest local police station or the Police Assistance Desks (PADs) any suspicious activities,” Narag said.
