• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
About 130 police personnel were tasked to secure the Sinigayan Festival of Sagay City in Negros Occidental, which kicks off Monday, March 16.
Mayor Leo Rafael Cueva and PCol. Dennis Wenceslao, police provincial director, led the send-off ceremony at the Sagay City Government Center grounds on Sunday.
The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Police Office (NOCPPO) also tapped force multipliers to augment the deployed police forces in the maintenance of peace and order.
The week-long festivities will run until March 20.
PLt. Col. Alvimar Flores, Sagay City police chief, said the deployment covers key festival venues and activity areas across the city.
Of the deployed police personnel, about 50 came from the NOCPPO headquarters in Bacolod City.
In a statement, Flores said the deployment reflects the continued partnership between the police and the local government in ensuring public safety.
“May this occasion strengthen our unity and remind our personnel that the Philippine National Police Sagay and the local government stand behind them in their mission to serve and protect,” he added.
The ceremony included the blessing of the troops led by Rev. Fr. Joferson Garces of St. Joseph Parish Church.
Cueva thanked the police and security forces for their continued commitment in ensuring the success of the annual festival.
“Year in and year out, you are the ones who secure this celebration,” Cueva told the deployed police personnel, as he expects that the Sinigayan Festival remains a peaceful and enjoyable event for everyone.
Wenceslao said the Sinigayan Festival highlights the strong cooperation between the police, the local government, and the community.
“Sinigayan is not only a celebration of culture and history. It also shows the unity of the community, the police, and the government in maintaining peace,” he added.
Wenceslao stressed that every successful security operation strengthens the trust of the public.
“Security is always a partnership between the police, the community, and the local government,” he said. | GB
