PNP assures absence of terror threats in Agusan Sur
by Jose Jemuel B. Dael
Butuan City (25 October) -- The Philippine National Police is staging preventive measure to a notch higher as it heightened the terror alert status in the province, PNP Provincial Director Samuel Yordan said.
However, Yordan clarified that although there are presence of communist terrorists in the area, there is direct threat of terror attack posed for the Agusanons.
"We only placed the provinces on the highest alert level because of the directive from PNP Chief Oscar Calderon to put Mindanao on the highest terror alert", Yordan said.
Yordan added that with the present alert level, preventive measures such as the three-tiered defense system has been applied all throughout the province. The three-tiered defense system is the preventive measure which involves the PNP, Military and the community.
Another preventive measure that the police introduce is the intensification of the intelligence effort focusing on would be terrorists and would be targets, while the other is target hardening that involves the conduct of random checkpoints and checking of persons in areas such as markets and terminals. He added that they assign police to check and monitor vital installations such as water systems, telephone lines and others.
Yordan said that the third preventive measure is the incident management where the community has the biggest role. He explained that all efforts of the PNP and Military to protect the people will not be optimized without the support of the community. He also appealed to the people to understand and cooperate during conduct of random checkpoints and checking of people. He added that any suspicious people or unattended package, or the like, would be reported immediately to the police or military for appropriate action.
The PNP could do more if the Peace and Order Council as well as the media will disseminate information such as being vigilant, cooperative and supportive to the efforts of the PNP and Military, the fight against terror is everybody's business and the Government shall continue to neutralize them on the back of full public vigilance and participation," Yordan said.
Meanwhile, President Gloria Arroyo has put the local government units on alert and directed them to implement their respective contingency anti-terrorism networks and plans. (PIA-Agusan del Sur) [top]
