Students warned vs. street crimes as in-person classes loom

MANILA – The Philippine National Police (PNP) has urged the students and parents to remain vigilant against perennial street crimes in the vicinity of the schools as it prepares for pilot implementation of face-to-face classes in Metro Manila starting Dec. 6.

PNP chief Gen. Dionardo Carlos ordered the focus of attention on 28 schools in NCR that are being eyed by the Department of Education (DepEd) as the pioneering batch for the resumption of in-person classes.

“The PNP will secure a final list of the participating schools so I can order the chiefs of police in those areas to plan for their deployment to ensure security in these school premises,” Carlos said in a statement on Saturday.

Carlos said the Pangasinan incident where some police personnel were photographed inside a classroom with long firearms during the first day of physical class should not happen again.

“Schools are zones of peace and we will acknowledge that. Much has been done to orient our personnel regarding this policy,” he said.

He said PNP will keep students and other school stakeholders away from harm.

By doing so, police will only provide a limited presence outside the school compounds except in emergencies when police assistance is sought by school authorities, he added.

He also assured local governments and health authorities of PNP assistance in implementing minimum public health standards in school premises.