Public urged to visit departed loved ones early to avoid ‘Undas’ crowd

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Friday called on the public to pay an early visit to their departed loved ones in cemeteries, memorial parks, and columbaria this weekend to avoid congestion during the ‘Undas’ observance.

“This coming Saturday, Sunday and Monday are the best days to consider when planning to visit cemeteries, memorial parks, columbaria and other holiday places of convergence to avoid crowding,” PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said in a statement.

Azurin urged the people to plan for various activities with consideration for things like operating hours, traffic patterns, weather, and other environmental and situational concerns.

The PNP head continued, “Plan your drive and drive your plan,” urging drivers going to the provinces to exercise additional caution, particularly in areas where Tropical Storm Paeng has issued a Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal “Added he.

The PNP director conducted inspections on Friday at various cemeteries located around Metro Manila as well as mass transit hubs for land, air, and sea travel.

Azurin assured that all deployments are in place in accordance with the security plan, which is based on the conditions anticipated.

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Col. Jean Fajardo, spokesperson for the PNP, earlier urged those who planned to leave their houses for the long weekend to secure them against burglars as well as potential flooding brought on by the weather disruption.

The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) also said on Friday that a total of 11,666 officers will be stationed at 142 locations, including 128 cemeteries, columbaria, memorial parks, 32 main thoroughfares, and 133 transit hubs and terminals.

They include 5,492 members of advocacy groups and force multipliers as well as 1,805 members of the augmentation unit, which consists of members of the Philippine Coast Guard, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Bureau of Fire Protection, and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.