THE police assured the safety of the Catholic faithful who will join the "Walk with Jesus" on Thursday dawn, January 11.
The "Walk" will open the annual Feast of the Sto. Niño and the nine-day novena. The feast will end on January 26.
Chief Inspector Jacinto Mandal, the event commander, said they have 273 police personnel who will secure the religious activity, which starts from Fuente Osmeña Circle and end in Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño, where the first novena mass is celebrated.
The police officers are divided into four sectors each with a team leader. They will keep an eye on pickpockets and thieves who might mix with the crowd.
Mandal said the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Central Command and other force multipliers, including tanods, will help in securing two-kilometer portion of Osmeña Blvd., the route of the procession.
A devotee, he said, should not wear jewelry and carry big amount of cash and someone should be left in the house to guard the properties against burglars.
He advised the faithful to bring umbrellas and raincoat as the weather is unpredictable.
Mandal encouraged the faithful to carry umbrellas that have no sharp ends to avoid injuring fellow devotees. (KAL/VoxPop Cebu)