Davao Deploys Nearly 14,000 Personnel for Undas as Health Officials Warn of Heat Under a Strong El Niño

By Kaeleb Savon Heck

DAVAO CITY, Philippines, Oct. 31, 2026 — Davao City is putting close to 14,000 security personnel and hundreds of traffic enforcers on the ground for All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, while the Department of Health in the Davao Region has raised a Code White Alert and is warning families heading to cemeteries about dangerous afternoon heat as a strong El Niño builds across the Pacific.

The city's Public Safety and Security Office (PSSO) said full deployment for Undas runs from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3, after a "soft deployment" on Oct. 29 and 30. Overnight stays are banned in most cemeteries, traffic around the busiest memorial parks will switch to one-way schemes on Nov. 1 and 2, and drop-off points will run on a strict 20-second loading rule.

Health officials, meanwhile, are telling visitors to go early, bring water and an umbrella, and avoid the hottest hours between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. The city's disaster office recorded a heat index of 41.6°C on Thursday afternoon, in the "extreme caution" range.

Why this matters

Undas is one of the biggest mass gatherings of the year in the Philippines. Families travel home to the provinces, crowd into cemeteries to clean and decorate graves, and often stay for hours. In Davao City alone, the PSSO counts 11 public cemeteries, 15 private ones and 27 more run by barangays.

This year the observance falls during what the state weather bureau, PAGASA, describes as a strong to very strong El Niño. That combination of large crowds, long hours outdoors, heavy road traffic and high heat is what has the health department on alert.

Security: about 14,000 personnel across the city

At the city's iSpeak media forum on Thursday, PSSO head Angel Sumagaysay said 13,995 security personnel will be deployed to cemeteries under Oplan Undas, according to Mindanao Times. The figure combines several units and works out to an average of about 3,497 personnel per day.

"All cemeteries, including those in far-flung areas, will have personnel assigned," Sumagaysay said.

Larger contingents will go to cemeteries in Poblacion, Calinan and Toril, which the PSSO identified as drawing the heaviest crowds.

Sumagaysay said overnight stays in cemeteries are strictly prohibited, with the exception of Orchard Cemetery, where security personnel will also be posted. Most cemeteries close at 8 p.m., and security personnel will be the last to leave each site to make sure the rule is followed.

Separately, the Davao City Police Office's Tourist Police Unit completed a three-day training program from Oct. 26 to 28 focused on frontline tourist assistance, emergency response and community policing, Mindanao Times reported. The training was organized by the Department of Tourism Region XI with Police Regional Office XI.

Traffic: one-way routes, no-parking zones and a 20-second rule

The City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) will run its traffic plan, which SunStar Davao reported is called Oplan Kaluluwa 2026, on Nov. 1 and 2.

Reports differ slightly on the size of the traffic force. Mindanao Times quoted Leonardo Pamplona, chief of the CTTMO's Traffic Enforcement Division, as saying 700 enforcers would work in two shifts of 350. SunStar Davao quoted him as saying 800 traffic personnel would be deployed, with 150 on Oct. 31 and full deployment on Nov. 1 in shifts of about 400. Both outlets agree that most will be posted around the busiest cemeteries: Davao Memorial Park, the Wireless area, Buhangin Memorial Park and the Chinese Cemetery.

Pamplona said CTTMO personnel and police will enforce a 20-second limit for loading and unloading passengers at drop-off stations near cemeteries, and vehicles will not be allowed to wait there. "If you want to load and unload, you are given 20 seconds," he said, according to SunStar.

Key arrangements announced by the CTTMO include:

• Davao Memorial Park: A sidewalk lane will be set aside for pedestrians. The outermost southbound lane of McArthur Highway will be reserved for vehicles entering the park. Left turns into and out of the park are prohibited; exiting vehicles must turn right toward Quimpo Boulevard. Southbound trucks must use C.P. Garcia Highway or Quimpo Boulevard, and utility buses from Ma-a Road must use McArthur Highway, Sandawa Road and Quimpo Boulevard. A loading and unloading area will be set up past Alexian Brothers.
• Wireless area: Pamplona called this the busiest zone. It includes the Wireless Public Cemetery, the Catholic and Masonic cemeteries, San Pedro Memorial Park, Orchard Memorial Park and Forest Lake. Traffic will be one-way from Fr. Selga Street at F. Torres Street to Circumferential Road (Sarenas Street) at Jade Street. Parking is banned in front of the cemeteries along Circumferential Road, and trucks and buses may not enter.
• Chinese Cemetery: One-way traffic along Sarenas Road from Gahol Street to Bacaca Road, with no parking near the cemetery along Circumferential Road.
• Buhangin Memorial Park: One-way traffic along Cabantian Road from Buhangin Milan to Mamay Road. Entry toward the park along Cabantian-Jehovah Road is not allowed; drivers can use Mamay Extension, C.P. Garcia Highway and Buhangin Road instead.

Pamplona said the most critical period is at night, when visitors leave the cemeteries all at once.

An accessibility provision at the Catholic Cemetery

One detail matters for older visitors and people with disabilities. SunStar reported that vehicle entry to the Catholic Cemetery from Fr. Selga Street will be regulated, and that only vehicles carrying persons with disabilities and the elderly, along with emergency vehicles, will be allowed in with enforcers' guidance.

That kind of exception can make the difference between a family member being able to visit a grave or staying home. For blind and low-vision visitors, wheelchair users and older relatives, the walk from a distant drop-off point through crowds and heat can be the hardest part of the day. Families who need the provision should tell enforcers at the entry point and keep identification such as a PWD ID or senior citizen ID on hand.

Health: Code White Alert and heat warnings

Dr. Grace Amistoso, officer-in-charge assistant regional director of DOH Davao, told reporters on Friday that the region is on Code White Alert for Undas and that the department's operations center is running 24 hours a day, SunStar Davao reported.

"There will be mass gatherings; there are a lot of people on the streets, so possible things will happen, so we are always on standby on code alert," she said.

The DOH said its Central Office raised the Code White Alert from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3, stepping up monitoring of health emergencies and coordinating with regional offices, hospitals and partner agencies on accidents and injuries.

Amistoso's advice for families included:

• Go early. Visit in the morning, since it is hottest from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Bring water, food and an umbrella, and wear light-colored, thin clothing.
• Know the warning signs. Weakness, dizziness, cramps, nausea and heavy sweating point to heat exhaustion. High body temperature, difficulty breathing, slurred speech, confusion and convulsions may point to heat stroke.
• Act fast if someone faints. Move the person to shade, lay them down with feet raised, and apply ice packs or cold water to the armpits, wrists, ankles and groin.
• Drive rested. Travelers heading to the provinces should check their vehicles using the BLOWBAGETS checklist: battery, lights, oil, water, brakes, air, gasoline, engine, tools and the driver themselves.

She also asked ambulant vendors at cemeteries to follow proper food handling to prevent food poisoning and diarrhea. Anyone who needs help can call the National Emergency Hotline, 911.

Background: a strong El Niño

PAGASA's El Niño Advisory No. 5, issued Oct. 7, said a strong to very strong El Niño is present in the tropical Pacific and is expected to last into the first half of 2027, possibly peaking before the end of 2026. El Niño raises the chance of below-normal rainfall, dry spells and drought, though PAGASA noted that heavy rain can still come with tropical cyclones and other weather systems. For October, it forecast near-normal rainfall for most of Mindanao outside Caraga, and temperatures in lowland Mindanao ranging from 20.6°C to 37.7°C.

Amistoso said health facilities have been told to prepare service continuity plans. "When El Niño comes, water will run short and it will be very hot, and these things, ventilation will be affected, so health services cannot stop because of El Niño," she said in Filipino. She also warned that dengue cases may rise even outside the rainy season, because water stored during shortages can become a mosquito breeding site, and advised boiling drinking water for three minutes when its safety is uncertain.

Dry-season warnings do not rule out sudden storms. GMA News reported that two men died on Thursday night in Barangay Catalunan Grande when a large branch from a mango tree, which barangay officials described as about a century old, fell on a light-material bunkhouse during heavy rain and strong wind. One man was dead when rescuers reached him and the other died in hospital, according to Police Major Sheryl Bautista, station commander of the Talomo Police Station.

Analysis

Davao City's Undas plan is largely a familiar one. Pamplona said the Davao Memorial Park scheme is "the same one used in previous years." What is different in 2026 is the weather backdrop. A long period of high heat, followed by sudden bursts of wind and rain, puts extra strain on the people least able to cope: older relatives, young children, people with disabilities and outdoor workers such as vendors and enforcers.

The health department's message is practical rather than alarming. Most heat illness at mass gatherings is preventable with timing, shade and water. The biggest risks are likely to come in the early afternoon, when crowds peak and temperatures are highest, and at night, when tens of thousands of visitors leave the same few roads at once.

What's next

• Nov. 1 and 2: One-way schemes, parking bans and the 20-second loading rule take effect around the major cemeteries.
• Through Nov. 3: Full security deployment and the DOH Code White Alert remain in place.
• Early November: PAGASA is expected to issue its next monthly El Niño advisory, which will update the rainfall and drought outlook for Mindanao.
• Emergencies: Call 911 for medical or other urgent help.

Sources

• SunStar Davao, "DOH operations steps up monitoring for Undas 2026," Oct. 30, 2026: https://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/doh-operations-steps-up-monitoring-for-undas-2026
• SunStar Davao, "Davao CTTMO implements traffic scheme for Undas 2026," Oct. 29, 2026: https://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/davao-cttmo-implements-traffic-scheme-for-undas-2026
• Mindanao Times, "Davao City deploys 14K security personnel, 700 personnel to man traffic for Undas 2026," Oct. 29, 2026: https://www.mindanaotimes.com.ph/davao-city-deploys-14k-security-personnel-700-personnel-to-man-traffic-for-undas-2026/
• GMA News, "2 lalaki, patay nang mabagsakan ng puno ang isang bunkhouse sa Davao City," Oct. 30, 2026: https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/balitambayan/promdi/1007773/2-lalaki-patay-nang-mabagsakan-ng-puno-ang-isang-bunkhouse-sa-davao-city/story/
• PAGASA, El Niño Advisory No. 5, Oct. 7, 2026: https://pubfiles.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/pagasaweb/files/climate/elninolanina/ENAdvisory5.pdf
• PAGASA, ENSO monitoring page: https://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/climate/el-nino-la-nina/monitoring