Iloilo City Hall deploys 500 personnel to secure Jaro Fiesta

By: Emme Rose Santiagudo

MORE than 500 personnel will secure the thousands of Marian devotees for the Feast of the Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria in Jaro, Iloilo City today, Feb 2, 2019.

Mayor Jose Espinosa III, who led the command conference on Friday, said that the city government including the partner agencies and stakeholders are prepared to man the religious event.

“Everything is ready and we will be deploying about 550 personnel nga mag-man sang traffic kag sang security,” Espinosa said.

Out of the 550 personnel, 300 will come from the police including force multipliers from other non-government agencies (NGOs), according to the Iloilo City Police Office.

Espinosa added that entrance and exits of the church would also be manned by security personnel.

“We will man all of the entrance and exits in the church. Ang aton bombero may gin-preposition ta and K9s will also be deployed especially in the entrance sang mga tao,” he said.

Senior Superintendent Martin Defensor Jr., Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) director, assured that areas outside Jaro will also be monitored by roving patrols.

“Aside sa activity area, we will be deploying roving patrols sa mga nearby streets outside Jaro,” he said.

For medical emergencies, 35 personnel from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) and Philippine Red Cross will be on stand-by, according to CDRRMO head Donna Magno.

Meanwhile, Public Safety and Transportation Management Office (PSTMO) head Jeck Conlu said that they would also deploy 246 personnel to manage the traffic during the religious event.

Aside from the regular inspection, the mayor also reminded devotees that backpacks are not allowed inside the church vicinity.

“Ang gina advice ta lang sa aton pumuluyo nga ang simbahan, there will be checking sang mga tawo nga magasulod and we will not allow people nga may dala nga backpacks to enter the church vicinity so kung may backpack ka, either ibilin mo or indi ka pag pa sudlon,” he said.

For old devotees and person with disabilities (PWDs) who want to visit the church, the city government will be providing 15-20 wheelchairs, according to Espinosa.

The Feast of the Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria is one of the most attended religious events in the country.

Today, thousands of pilgrims all over the country are expected to flock at the Jaro Church and pay homage to Our Lady of Candles.