• THERESA MAE DULMAN
The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) is seeking to mobilize around 1,600 personnel as well as recommending a gun ban and other security measures for the 2025 MassKara Festival.
In an interview, BCPO City Director PCol. Joeresty Coronica said that the Bacolod police will be deploying 700 to 900 cops and will be requesting more than 800 additional officers from the Police Regional Office – NIR, for the whole city.
The city director added that in case President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., will visit the city during the upcoming festival, they will impose signal jamming, but if not, it will be under consideration.
“This is what we do ever since, every time there is MassKara or major festivals,” Coronica said.
The Bacolod Gugma Foundation Inc. recently announced that a no-backpack policy will be enforced, which the city director noted as another security measure to prevent the possible bringing of bombs using backpacks and other luggage. He said that they will allow see-through bags and other usual ladies bags.
Coronica also said that the BCPO’s monitoring against illegal drugs, in coordination with other law enforcement teams, will be continuous and without fail, and will be heightened during the festival.*
