The Philippine National Police (PNP) declared full alert status in Luzon and Visayas for the holiday season starting Sunday.

Police Lieutenant General Archie Francisco Gamboa, the PNP officer-in-charge, commanded police units to be on full alert status for 21 days effective 6 am, December 15 to January 5, 2020.

The was contained in Memorandum Circular "Paskuhan 2019" which will mobilizes 69,335 police personnel and backed by 157,264 force multipliers for law enforcement and public safety operations.

Gamboa also announced a PNP Enhanced Managing Police Operations (E-MPO) strategy in handling safety and security issues and concerns.

Troops will be deployed on community firecracker and display zones, assistance hubs, places of worship, commercial centers, road safety points, sea ports, train stations, and airports. There will also be personnel deployed for anti-crime operations, anti-motorcycle riding suspects, and reactionary standby support force.

Gamboa also instructed police regional directors to maximize police visibility around churches as the traditional nine-day Simbang Gabi dawn masses begin on Monday.

"We do not really anticipate major peace and order issues during the Yuletide Season, but, we are deploying more policemen in the field as a crime prevention measure," he said.

Local police units were reminded to work with barangay authorities to urge village watchmen, citizen volunteers and other force multipliers to be on lookout for violators of the ban on dangerous and illegal firecrackers.

Gamboa told local police units to be alert for criminal elements engaged in common street crime such as robbery, theft, burglary of unattended residences, mugging, swindling and street gang violence.

Gamboa added that mobile patrol units should turn on their blinkers to establish police presence. Cristina Eloisa Baclig/DMS