Mall and establishment owners must strengthen safety and security enforcement in anticipation of the influx of clients and guests ahead of the holiday season.
Newly appointed Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Gen. Dionardo Carlos, said business owners should anticipate growing complacency following the easing of lockdown protocols in more areas nationwide.
He cited recent observations in the National Capital Region (NCR), where more people are going to public places such as malls, plazas, parks, and other recreational areas.
“We will order our ground commanders to meet with the management of the different malls and big tourist destinations so that safety and security matters will be discussed. We encourage them to deploy more security guards in their vicinities,” Carlos said in a statement sent to reporters on Monday, Nov. 15.
“On our end, the PNP will assign more police personnel with portable public address system, to remind the public of the health protocols,” he added.
Carlos stated that local government units can assist by designating safety and compliance officers in public areas.
“We understand that there might be changes along the way just like the lifting of face shield requirement in some local government units. We are closely coordinating with the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force) and the DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) to get guidance on the enforcement of these local Executive Orders,” Carlos said.
