Some 1,500 police personnel have been deployed to secure and maintain peace and order for the celebration of the Chinese New Year in Binondo, Manila, the Manila Police District (MPD) said on Friday.
“One thousand five hundred for the weeklong activity, but the bulk of deployment will be today, tonight and tomorrow during the parade,” MPD chief Police Brig. Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay said, referring to Friday until Sunday (Feb. 9-11) or the long weekend.
Ibay said about half a million domestic and foreign tourists are expected to flock to Binondo, Manila for the occasion. The PNP already set up numerous checkpoints around the area and road closures were implemented to ensure security.
“We are expecting more than 500,000 to flock today (Friday) because this is a weeklong activity. It started on Feb. 1 during the kick-off ceremony here at [Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz in Binondo],” he said in an interview with GMA 7’s Unang Balita, adding “we have assigned enough police to guard them.”
Ibay advised all tourists not to bring huge amounts of cash and expensive items when they go to Binondo to avoid getting victimized by thieves scouring the area to find their targets. He also reminded them to regularly check their belongings when shopping around the area.
“We are encouraging everybody to visit this place because you can buy a lot of fruits. Of course, it is a good luck charm for those who believe that it will bring them good luck this year… This is a century-old tradition here in our country,” Ibay said.