Cebu City, Mandaue gear up for kalag-kalag

CEBU, Philippines - A combined workforce of over 2,800 personnel will be deployed by Cebu City and Mandaue City to manage traffic and maintain peace and order during the observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.

In Cebu City, the City Council has allotted a budget of P1.3 million for the food of city personnel who will perform their duties to ensure the security of the public.

The amount will be for the meals from October 31 to November 2 of the 2,560 personnel of the Prevention, Restoration, Order, Beautification and Enhancement (PROBE) team, Bureau of Fire and Protection, Philippine National Police, Auxiliary Police, Barangay Tanods, and volunteers .

The amount was contained in the resolution filed by Councilor David Tumulak, chairman of the Council Committee on Public Order and Safety. Tumulak is also the deputy mayor over police matters.

Meanwhile, City’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CCDRRMC) head Nagiel Bañacia said that there will be a trimming operation on the branches of trees that block the light from lampposts near the cemeteries.

The trimming operation will be every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. and will be supervised by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-7.

“Actually this task force is not only for Kalag-Kalag but gihimo ni nato kay ang kahoy sa city ba ni over grow na ang mga branches, ineffective or inefficient na ang atong mga suga,” he told reporters yesterday.

During the observance of “Kalag-Kalag,” Tumulak warns the public against wearing expensive luxuries and bringing expensive gadgets so they will not be victimized by snatchers.

An inspection will be conducted by police officers at the entrances to the cemeteries. Individuals will not be allowed to bring bladed weapons and liquor inside the cemeteries.

Regarding traffic, rerouting will be done on a case to case basis, shares Tumulak.

In Mandaue, some 300 personnel from Mandaue City Police Office and the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM) will be deployed on November 1 and 2.

Glenn Antigua, Chief for Operations of TEAM, also came up with a traffic rerouting scheme for those days.

Antigua said there will be traffic enforcers deployed at the intersections along B.B. Cabahug Street since the Mandaue Municipal Cemetery, the St. Joseph Roman Catholic Cemetery, Man Park Cemetery, and the Grossmar Memorial Garden are all located along B.B. Cabahug Street.

"Ang mga sakyanan nga moagi og B.B. Cabahug sa may Barangay Guizo gikan sa Lapu-Lapu kinahanglan nga moagi ubos sa Maguikay bridge tungod kay ang maong dalan sirad-an tungod sa presensya sa upat ka mga dagkong menteryo sa dalan," Antigua said.

The road closure will begin on October 31 at 6:00 in the morning and the road will be open on November 2 at 12:00 noon. Private vehicles can be parked only along the A. del Rosario and F. Rosal streets.

Antigua said that there will be no day-off for traffic enforcers on the two-day occasion.

Police Chief Inspector Jimmy Aguisanda of the MCPO said plainclothes police personnel will also be on hand to guard the gates of cemeteries and terminals against criminals and terrorists. — (FREEMAN)