The 18-day MassKara Festival of Bacolod City was generally-peaceful, with sustained security operations through the deployment of personnel in key areas and festival venues, the Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region said Oct. 19.
PRO-NIR director, P/Brig. General Rudecindo Reales, said that regular security monitoring, crowd management, police visibility, and close coordination with partner agencies helped ensure that the 47th staging of the world-renowned festival was peaceful, safe, and orderly.
He thanked Task Group Masskara 2026, partner-agencies, the Bacolod city government, festival organizers, force multipliers, and volunteers for their collective effort in ensuring the successful conduct of the festivity.
“Your service demonstrates that public safety is a shared responsibility and that through unity, cooperation, and steadfast dedication, we can achieve a common goal,” Reales told stakeholders at the culmination and awarding ceremony at the Bacolod City Police Office covered court Oct. 19.
“Resilience gives us strength, unity gives us purpose, and service gives our work meaning,” he said as he underscored the importance of carrying the spirit of unity and service beyond the celebration, and the shared responsibility in protecting communities and maintaining peace and order.
The festival’s final day Oct. 18 drew an estimated 630,000 crowds across key venues and activity areas in Bacolod, the PRO-NIR said.
Despite the large turnout, police personnel maintained visibility and implemented crowd management measures, in coordination with partner-agencies, contributing to the generally peaceful and orderly conduct of the celebration, it added. ||
