DUMAGUETE CITY, March 28 -- The Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO) said Thursday that 80 percent of its force has already been deployed for the Holy Week observance.

Lt. Stephen Polinar, spokesperson of NOPPO, said the provincial police have tightened their security measures in anticipation of large crowds during the observance of the Holy Week and because the New People's Army will mark its 55th founding anniversary on Good Friday, March 29.

"Out of the roughly 1,500 police personnel in the province, 80 percent of them have been directed to report for duty on these days with no one allowed to go on leave," Polinar said.

On top of the different police stations' manpower being utilized to the maximum, NOPPO also has on sta...