Police will remain on heightened alert until Nov. 6 to ensure the safety of returning travelers after a long weekend due to the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) and the observance of “Undas.”
Philippine National Police (PNP) information chief and spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo on Thursday said the last day of the PNP’s highest security alert status should have been Nov. 2 to allow all policemen to rest and be with their families after a long duty that started last week as part of the preparations for the BSKE.
Fajardo said the police assistance desks they set up in all seaports and airports, as well as in the bus terminals and other places of convergence, will remain until such time that those who went out of town return.
Fajardo added that “Undas” was generally peaceful on Wednesday despite some people still bringing prohibited items to cemeteries, including lighters, cigarettes, and liquor. Fajardo said around 3 million people visited the tombs of their departed loved ones on All Saints’ Day and many flocked to cemeteries on Thursday, All Souls’ Day.
The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) meanwhile said that the Ninoy Aquino International Airport has achieved an 88% on-time performance (OTP) rating, and has efficiently handled a significant volume of passengers, processing a total of 732,573 during the first six days of the long Undas holiday break.
The MIAA said it remains on track to achieve its goal of accommodating 1.2 million passengers during the 10-day period.
In the first ten days of October, the present volume of travelers has already reached 1,150,671, with daily counts ranging from 110,000 to 121,000 passengers, the MIAA said.
The environmental group EcoWaste Coalition (EWC), on Thursday, said it noticed improvements in waste management across some cemeteries in Luzon.
The group noted a significant decrease in littering during Undas 2023 compared to the past years, which may be attributed to the deployment of more waste and sanitation workers by local government units (LGUs), “no vendors policy,” the provision of garbage bins and the installation of visible anti-littering signages in cemeteries.
Less number of visitors may also have contributed to improved waste management, the group added.
This may be due to the intermittent rain and the “long weekend” which may have dispersed the number of visitors throughout the week. Some cemeteries have also limited visiting hours, instead of opening their gates for the usual 24 hours pre-pandemic.
Cemeteries like Cainta Public Cemetery in Rizal have installed multiple trash bins around the place, including a dedicated bin for plastic bottles. Navotas Public Cemetery required vendors within their premises to have their own trash bags and also deployed members of their “Brigada ng Kalikasan,” resulting in a generally litter-free environment.