Philippines - Country prepares for weekend exodus

Paranaque City, Philippines - The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the military have stepped up preparations to secure the country's transport terminals for the weekend migration of millions of Filipinos visiting their beloved departed.

A spokesperson for the PNP said that Metro Manila and the whole of Mindanao have been placed under "red alert" status, according to a report on Inquirer.net.  Other regions, meanwhile, have been placed on heightened alert by the police.

Local government units have developed rerouting blueprints to ease the flow of vehicular and pedestrian traffic to cemeteries in their territory.

The migration, mostly from the country's urban centers to the provinces, is an annual occurrence in the Philippines, where people take great value on kinship and familial relations.

Many others take the holiday as an opportunity to travel and go on vacation.