The Police Regional Office in MIMAROPA disclosed on Tuesday that the traditional observance of this year’s Holy Week in the region was “generally peaceful” as compared against the same period last year.
According to PRO-MIMAROPA director Brig. Gen. Joel Doria, data from the Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division revealed that a total of 87 crime incidents were recorded from 2 to 9 April this year — a 10.31 percent decline as compared to the 97 reported crime incidents in the same period last year.
He added that the improvement in the average crime rate is largely attributed to the pro-active policing efforts in maintaining peace and order complemented by the region-wide coordinated police operations through the implementation of the “Oplan Ligtas Sumvac 2023.”
“I commend the men and women of PRO-MIMAROPA in this accomplishment. The public can expect that the PNP will further intensify its efforts in ensuring the stability of the peace and order in their respective areas, more so for the entire duration of the summer vacation this year,” Doria said.
Meantime, the Bureau of Immigration said that on Easter Sunday, it has recorded more than 45,000 arriving passengers and 33,000 departing passengers.
BI commissioner Norman Tansingco said that the increase in arriving passengers is expected at the tail end of the holiday season, adding that they see this as a good sign and believe the numbers will continue to rise until the end of the year.
Earlier, Tansingco reported that the operations at the BI remained smooth sailing despite the spike in travelers during Holy Week.
A total of 155 immigration officers have been fielded for the week, along with a batch of 36 officers who were also deployed after completing their training.