Bacolod City beefed up security for its ongoing MassKara Festival with the deployment of 409 additional police personnel from Western Visayas and the Negros Island Region (NIR) on Wednesday, October 7.
The reinforcements will augment the 3,258 police personnel initially mobilized for the 47th edition of the festival, which runs from October 1 to 18.
Of the additional personnel, 200 came from the Police Regional Office-6 (PRO-6), 73 from the PRO-6 Revitalized Pulis sa Barangay (RPSB), and 136 from the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO).
They were assigned to various security operations, including border control, public order, anti-criminality efforts, and community relations, as well as security duties at billeting areas, the Bacolod City Government Center, the public plaza, and the Red Team.
The personnel will work in coordination with the Site Sub-Task Group (SSTG) Security to help maintain peace and order throughout the festival.
Police Brigadier General Randulf Tuaño, PRO-6 director, reminded the deployed officers to remain vigilant, accessible to the public, and professional in carrying out their duties.
“Be visible. Be approachable. Stay alert. Follow your instructions and observe proper police procedures,” Tuaño said.
He emphasized that officers from different units and jurisdictions must operate as one force to ensure the safety of festivalgoers.
“We may be coming from different units and different areas, but once we are deployed, we work as one police force with one purpose, to help ensure a safe, peaceful, and orderly MassKara Festival,” he said.
Meanwhile, Police Brigadier General Rudecindo Reales, PRO-NIR director, thanked PRO-6 for providing additional personnel to support the festival’s security and public safety operations.
Reales assured the deployed officers of PRO-NIR’s support, guidance, and coordination throughout their 12-day assignment.*
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, contributes to Negros Daily Bulletin, and maintains a blog on Medium.