Cagayan de Oro City — The city government has issued a no-signal advisory from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Divisoria area on Monday during a nationwide peace rally of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC).
In Northern Mindanao, the rally will be held at Divisoria, where INC leaders, during a meeting on Friday with city police officials, revealed that 30,000 members from Lanao del Norte, Bukidnon, Camiguin, Misamis Oriental, and Misamis Occidental would begin arriving Sunday night.
Nonito Oclarit, head of the City Road and Traffic Administration (RTA), said the INC initially requested the closure of all roads, but it was later agreed that some roads would remain open during the mass gathering.
The 2,000 marked vehicles of INC ferrying the members will be parked at the Rio de Oro Boulevard to prevent traffic congestion in the city.
The Cagayan de Oro Police Office (COCPO) will deploy Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams and crowd dispersal units, which will be on standby for any eventuality.
INC city minister Arnulfo Jurado assured earlier that the mass gathering would be peaceful and orderly, with similar events to be carried out in key regions across the country.
A source told the DAILY TRIBUNE that similar rallies will be held in Davao City for Southern Mindanao, Butuan City for the Caraga Region, Cebu, Ormoc, Tacloban, Palawan, and the Ilocos Region.
The source also revealed that the main rally will take place at the Quirino Grandstand, where delegations from the National Capital Region and Central Luzon will converge.