Manila, June 17 -- The Philippine National Police (PNP) has attributed the smooth and peaceful opening of classes to the close coordination of the Department of Education (DepEd), local government units, and stakeholders.

"The safe return of our students to their schools is a shared victory of every police officer, teacher, parent, and member of the government," PNP chief Police General Nicolas Torre III said in a statement on Tuesday.

Torre, who visited key public schools in Quezon City during Monday's school opening, said the PNP will remain fully committed "to keeping our communities safe, especially for our children."

He said over 37,000 policemen were deployed while 5,000 police assistance desks provided help to around 27 million ...