No Selfies During Papal Visit, Policemen Told

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday warned its personnel that taking selfies with Pope Francis is not allowed.

The PNP stressed that they are deployed strictly for security reasons.

PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Wilben Mayor said the main reason for their deployment is to secure the Pope and the people.

He added that this means that PNP personnel should focus on that mandate and “must not be distracted with their personal agenda.”

Stiff sanctions will be imposed to policemen who will be caught taking selfies with the Pope when the pontiff visits the country on January 15 to 19, Mayor said.

The order, Mayor said, was given after the PNP leadership took into consideration tech-savvy cops inclined to social media.

Mayor said that in past occasions, the PNP has not came across “selfie problems” with the visits of other top leaders like US President Barack Obama, who visited the Philippines last year.

Still, the police are not taking chances especially with a predominantly Catholic nation with 74.2 million faithfuls, report said.

The PNP will deploy more than 20,000 policemen to secure the Pope for his five-day visit in Manila and Leyte starting Thursday.

Source: GMA News Online