No Holy Week break for Cavite police
By Anthony Giron
CAMP GEN. PANTALEON GARCIA, IMUS, Cavite – There will be no break for the more than 2,000-strong Cavite police force during “Semana Santa” or Holy Week.
P/Maj. Jonathan Abuel Asnan, chief of Cavite Police Provincial Office (PPO)-Operations, Plans and Strategy Management Branch, made this disclosure as he said that police officers and men would be deployed in areas to ensure the province’s security.
Asnan said that the operational plans for the summer vacation (sumvac) and Lent have been implemented since Day 1 of this month. A police help desk will be installed in the areas for the Holy Week for visitors and residents.
Asnan said that PPO, including the city and municipal police, are on full alert during “Semana Santa” or the period from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.
With the alert status, all applications for leave of absence have been waived.
Cavite, with eight districts comprising seven cities and 16 municipalities, is the country’s most populated province.
A tourist destination area, Cavite is the first province after southern Metro Manila. The province has vast old and historical Catholic churches and sites where pilgrims can meditate and pray.
The Cavite Diocese—the bishop’s residence and the more than 200-year-old Our Lady of the Pillar Church—is in Imus, the province’s capital.
Tagaytay City, with its cool climate and serene spots, is the province’s top pilgrim and tourist destination every Lenten Season.
The city has 14 Catholic churches and 63 other religious sites and many hotels, restaurants, resorts and other leisure areas where pilgrims and tourists can stay and dine.
Among the areas frequented by the faithful in the city during Holy Week are the Pink Sisters Convent in Barangay Maitim, Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Silang Crossing and Our Mother of Perpetual Help Church in Sungay West.
Thousands of pilgrims and tourists are expected to visit Tagaytay from Maundy Thursday to Easter Sunday. The influx of people can be gauged on the traffic situation particularly along Aguinaldo Highway and other main thoroughfares.
The Tagaytay Ridge, overlooking the famous Taal Volcano and Lake, is the year-round top tourist destination nearest Metro Manila, the Department of Tourism (DoT) said.
The exodus to and from the province is expected during the Holy Week. Crime incidents and road accidents are being checked and prevented by authorities with their “oplans”.
Vehicular and pedestrian accidents, particularly involving motorcycles, cars and buses, were reportedly prevalent in the province’s upland and lowland districts during the summer months. (Anthony Giron)