The Philippine National Police on Tuesday said it has established some 4,866 police assistance desks in the public cemeteries, memorial parks, columbaria and catacombs around the country.
PNP Information chief and spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said that more or less 27,161 police personnel are also on duty to secure the annual observance of All Saints' and All Souls' days.
"In Undas, we will deploy more or less 27,161 and the deployment includes the Police assistance desks that we will establish as early as over the weekend, around 4,866 PADS," Fajardo told reporters in a press briefing at Camp Crame on Tuesday.
"Since we were focused on our deployment during the election, we are grateful to our more than 22,000 force multipliers who filled in our lack of numbers to guard the cemeteries, memorial parks and major thoroughfares including the transportation hubs for any way we have additional help as well as the tourist spots we have watched over because we know about these long weekends," she added.
Fajardo said the police remain in full alert status since BSKE and until All Souls' Day (2 November) and extending the alert status until Christmas will depend on the recommendations of field commanders.
"The regional directors have the discretion to assess depending on the prevailing situation among them, they could downgrade it to heightened or normal alert level, but until now we still have waves and some days it is the yuletide season so definitely the PNP will keep its heightened alert status," she stressed.
Meanwhile, the National Capital Region Police Office will deploy 14,022 policemen in 127 cemeteries in Metro Manila for the commemoration of Undas.
Metro Manila top cop Brig. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said that the police force is ready to patrol and monitor their area of responsibility to ensure peace and order for the aforementioned occasion.
He added there are 2,990 contingents from the augmentation unit which includes the Philippine Coast Guard, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Bureau of Fire Protection, MMDA and Force Multipliers.
Nartatez on Tuesday together with other NCRPO Officers conducted an "Oplan Kaluluwa" or cemetery visit in five of the biggest cemeteries in Metro Manila. These include La Loma Cemetery in Caloocan; Manila North Cemetery in Santa Cruz, Manila; San Juan Cemetery in Greenhills, San Juan; Loyola Memorial Park in Parañaque City; and Bagbag Public Cemetery in Novaliches, Quezon City.