• THERESA MAE DULMAN
Following a series of earthquakes that jolted the Negros Island, the Bacolod Gugma Foundation Inc. prepared an evacuation plan for the Heartonic, a three-day street party from October 17-19 in Lacson Tourism Strip.
In a press briefing, Site Director Mark Raymund Garcia said that they prepared five evacuation points near the five entertainment stages.
For Stage 1, located in Ramos Area, the visitors are directed to evacuate at BS Aquino Drive along Chowking or Caltex; for stage 2 at BPI Area, they are directed to 17th Street exit-going to Aguinaldo Street and San Agustin Drive; stage 3 in Mayfair Area will take the route to 12th and 13th st. going to Aguinaldo Street and Hilado Street; the stage 4 crowd at VSB Building are advised to evacuate at 7th and 6th Street; while the Aguinaldo Street fronting Service First or NBI Bacolod is reserved for stage 5 visitors in the North Capitol Area.
Safety reminders and infographics will also be placed around the festival site as a safety measure.
The organizer said that they expect a crowd of 100,000 daily visitors for the last weekends of the MassKara Festival in Lacson Street, where 50 local and national artists are expected to perform.
The Inter-Agency Department is also closely involved with the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, local government units, and force multipliers for the security and safety measures.
In addition, security personnel and emergency responders will be stationed across all key locations for crowd management.*
