Cops hold roundup at QC cemetery

MANILA, Philippines – Police rounded up men from slum areas at a public cemetery in Novaliches, Quezon City on nights leading to the “Undas” weekend to flush out contraband prohibited from memorial parks.

This led to fewer prohibited items confiscated at Bagbag public cemetery, Superintendent Eleazar Matta, commander of the Quezon City Police District Station 4 said yesterday.

Matta said they conducted “saturation drives” on several nights leading to yesterday’s feast for the dead, on instruction of QCPD director Senior Superintendent Joel Pagdilao.

Policemen focused on illegal settlers at Bagbag cemetery, Matta said.

The police official said some have set up homes beside graves and tombs at the public cemetery.

According to Matta, they have rounded up close to 30 men during these succeeding operations.

Matta said fewer prohibited items – among them bottles of liquor, bladed weapons and gambling paraphernalia – were confiscated in the cemeteries in the Novaliches district.

The Novaliches district hosts three memorial parks: the Parokya ng Pagkabuhay Cemetery (Bagbag public cemetery), the Holy Cross Memorial Park and the Novaliches Cemetery.

Matta said more than 100,000 persons visited these three cemeteries yesterday. The number peaked in the afternoon.

Pagdilao earlier ordered the deployment of 652 policemen to guard six cemeteries and eight columbaria all over the city, 520 police officers deployed for traffic enforcement and 1,723 more sent to conduct anti-crime patrols.

Pagdilao said the situation at the cemeteries in the city was generally peaceful. As of early afternoon yesterday, he said no one was arrested in the city’s cemeteries.