MAYOR Bryan Celeste of Alaminos City, Pangasinan on Tuesday clarified that the armed policemen seen inside a classroom on the first day of face-to-face classes in the city were not part of his security detail but belong to the team requested by a school official.

On Monday, a photo of a policeman carrying long firearm inside a classroom in Longos Elementary School circulated online.

“Contrary to the statement of the DepEd and the media, THE OFFICER IS NOT PART OF MY SECURITY DETAIL as he is, in fact, part of the security team requested by a school official of Longos Elementary School to provide security for members and officials of the PCOO, the media, the DepEd, and other VIP to ensure the safety and well-being of our students, teachers, parents and stakeholders,” Celeste said.

The mayor shared the request submitted by the Longos’ head teacher Fremilyn Rabago to the Alaminos chief of police.

“We are requesting security support for the Pilot Face to Face. This will help us in strictly implementing the health protocols in the community,” a portion of the letter read.

“Therefore, may we request from your good office to grant us personnel that will be an additional assistance in the conduct of this activity. The start of the pilot testing will be on November 15, 2021 until the month of January 2022,” it added.