BY CRIS DIAZ
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY: Organizers of the scheduled BBM-Sara grand rally here Tuesday expect about 200,000 people as the local police mobilized 600 policemen to secure this premier capital of Northern Mindanao.
Traffic authorities had issued a traffic rerouting scheme starting 1: 00 p.m. Tuesday until 11:00 Tuesday evening as people started to trek toward the sprawling Gregorio Pelaez Sports Center along Velez St. here.
Francisco Dy, Jr , head of the provincial disaster, risk reduction management department, said that the sports center has an estimated capacity of 180,000 people, but the number may exceed.
“In anticipation of the swelling crowd, disaster officials installed “portalets” (portable toilets) apart from emergency teams, ambulances and firetrucks in the vicinity of the sports center,” Dy said.
Maj. Ivan Viñas, spokesperson of the Cagayan de Oro City police, said that the security in the rally venue is toughened disallowing ball caps, backpacks, wearing of dark glasses, blunt objects and umbrellas.
Viñas said that the local police had started to install controlled and mobile checkpoints in Cagayan de Oro City starting Monday in preparation for the scheduled BBM-Sara Uni-Team grand rally on Tuesday.
Missmis Oriental Provincial Governor Yevgeny Vincente Emano, chair of the accredited regional Padayon Pilipino political party and gubernatorial candidate Peter Unabia, head of the Team Paglaum, another local political party, had declared full support of the BBM-Sara presidential tandem in the May 9 polls. -0-
